


The Magpie

by thx4thevenombby



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Anal Sex, Blood Drinking, Hand Jobs, M/M, Mentions of Death, Oumami, Vampires, angst will happen later, art student!Komaeda, hikoma, nanabuki, saiouma, vampire!Komaeda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-08-09 20:36:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 50,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16456784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thx4thevenombby/pseuds/thx4thevenombby
Summary: The new guy Hajime's talking to is allergic to garlic, has a bite mark on his neck, and seems to have an awful lot of blood stains on everything. The only problem? Hajime's friends have just started a vampire hunting club.





	1. The Enigma

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I wanted to get this chapter posted in time for Halloween, so if there are some errors, I'm very sorry! I really hope you enjoy and have a nice night <3
> 
> P.S. The rating is at M right now, but it will probably change in the future when I add certain scenes. I hope that is not a problem for anyone. Also, this chapter is only around 24 pages and I usually try to at least hit 30 for a first chapter so I'm very sorry about that! I will try to have better word counts in the future!
> 
> P.S.S. This is a huge thanks to Zeke for not only helping me come up with the idea but also dealing with my constant middle of the night texts about this fic. He is the coolest guy around and you should definitely check out some of his fics because they're amazing @fruitelves.

It took considerable effort to keep a straight face as Hajime Hinata handed the list of books he was looking for to the librarian. “ _ I’m working really late today, do you mind picking these up for me? It’ll only take a few minutes.”  _ Chiaki had said. She’d conveniently forgotten to mention they were all books probably written for twelve years olds who’d just read Twilight for the first time. 

“Well, someone already checked out our only copy of  _ Vampire Romances Through European History _ unfortunately, but I’m definitely sure that we have  _ Vampirism in Pop Culture. _ ” The librarian nodded thoughtfully, flipping through the computer’s log of their books. Hajime really wished he would stop saying the names of the books so loudly. 

“Um. Yeah. They’re for my friend. She’s, uh, into this stuff.”

“You’ve mentioned that.” The librarian nodded. He stood up from behind the desk and led Hajime to the section titled “Supernatural and Occult” and looked through titles until he came up with the small stack of books Chiaki had asked Hajime for. “Oh, y’know what… you’re missing that Vlad Tepes biography, I’ll go check in the back, wait here.” The librarian left Hajime alone. He glanced around at the various books on display, skulls and other morbid imagery adorning most of the covers. He grimaced.  _ I’m still not sure how Sonia and Gundham managed to rope Chiaki into all this.  _ A few months earlier, Gundham and Sonia had decided to start “ghost hunting” on weekends. After listening to a “thrilling” album about werewolves, Ibuki had joined them and eventually invited Chiaki, who cited her countless favorite horror games as her reason for joining. She’d offered a position on their “team” multiple times to Hajime, but as much as he loved his best friend, he couldn’t bring himself to go that far for her. Renting her edgy books at the public library was enough, in his opinion. 

Another few seconds passed and Hajime started to wonder if the librarian had forgotten about him. The emptiness of the supernatural section was somewhat eerie, and the wind howling outside the small window to the street wasn’t helping. Neither were the dozens of malicious faces peering down at Hajime from each book cover. He shuddered. “Well you’re fucking creepy.” He mumbled at a particular book, where a man was glaring from the cover, photoshop blood splatters covering most of his features. 

“Apologies.” A voice came from nowhere and Hajime jumped nearly a foot in the air. He whipped his head to the side to see another person had entered the section. He hadn’t even noticed he’d been so engrossed in the books surrounding him.

“O-oh, uh, I didn’t mean you. I meant, um, that guy. There.” Hajime pointed to the book. 

“Oh.” The other man said with an expression that was almost too open. His hair was wild and strangely white like he’d bleached it poorly too many times. He was taller than Hajime but something told Hajime that his overly thin build  made him look taller than he was. He tilted his head to the side. “Do you normally talk to books?”

“No! I just-” Hajime was cut off as the librarian reentered the section with the Vlad Tepes book. Hajime sighed in relief and the mystery man perked up. They both reached for the book, hands colliding before they looked up at each other. Hajime glanced down at the little paper in the man’s hand. It was a list of books, written on the library’s note paper. Almost identical to the one Chiaki had given him in its content. The other man glanced at the stack of books Hajime was renting with a similar expression. “Um. You can, uh, have that.” Hajime took the book from the librarian and offered it to the other man. 

“You reached for it first, it’s yours.” He shook his heads. 

“I’ll take these, you take that.” Hajime shoved the book at him again, and the man took it this time. Hajime smiled politely and took his books with him to the checkout counter and scanned them through. As he was walking out the doors he caught a final glance of the other man scanning the biography along with a few other books.  _ Hm. _

 

* * *

 

 

Hajime parked in front of Monomi’s Pizza Shack and grabbed the bag of books Chiaki had requested. He walked inside, hearing the door chime jingle and he walked up to the front counter. “Heya Hajime!” Ibuki chirped cheerfully. “Lookin’ for Chiaki?”

“Yeah, is she back there?”

“Uh-huh.” Ibuki flashed a peace sign and bounded back into the kitchen. She emerged a few moments later with Chiaki, a DS in her hand. “Here ya’ go.” 

“Hi Hajime!” Chiaki waved. “Did you get my books?”

“Er, yeah. Except they didn’t have the vampire romance one and someone needed the Vlad Tepes one.” Hajime handed her the bag of books. “Make sure you turn them in on time ‘cause they’re on my card.” He watched her sift through the books, checking the covers. 

“Great! I’ll let Gundham and Sonia know.” She pulled her phone from her pocket. “You sure you don’t wanna stick around for our meeting tonight? Sonia wants to investigate that serial killer that’s just like the one from Blood Panic,” Blood Panic was a game Chiaki had forced Hajime to play on multiple occasions. “So it’ll be extra interesting tonight.” She had a hopeful hint in her voice but Hajime just shook his head.

“I’ve got an essay due early tomorrow, I should work on it. Sorry.” They were both aware he had no interest, Hajime had just decided a polite declination would be the best option. “I’ll take a pizza, though.” He looked back to Ibuki. He ordered the same pizza at least every other day, it had become a novelty if he ordered anything besides Hawaiian pizza with extra garlic. He waited for it to finish cooking, paid Ibuki, waved a goodbye to Chiaki, and got back in his car, driving to his apartment. 

He spent most of the night eating his pizza and studying. Sometime around midnight he took a break to check his phone. He flipped through his friend’s snapchat stories, pausing at Sonia’s. He could see Chiaki, Ibuki, and Gundham laughing in the background, some sort of strange symbol drawn on the floor. It did genuinely look like fun, but Hajime wasn’t sure where they found the time or passion for it. He turned his phone off and laid back on the couch, fatigue pulling his eyes closed. He decided his best bet was going to bed. Hajime dragged himself to his room and brushed his teeth. An alert from his news app popped up on his phone and he read it quickly. 

“Three more bodies have been discovered with all of their blood drained. Police are thinking this is the work of a ruthless serial killer-” He sighed and shut it off.  _ That’s all anyone ever talks about anymore. That librarian probably thought I was some serial killer fanatic.  _ Hajime turned out his lights and got into bed.  _ Maybe that’s what that guy was. He did seem a little… eccentric.  _

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, Hajime’s class got out early. Normally, he’d go meet up with Chiaki, Gundham, or Ibuki at the pizza parlor, but their shifts wouldn’t even be starting yet. He’s considered texting Sonia to see if she wanted to study for a bit but he remembered she’d signed up for a two pm linguistics class and a four pm seminar on medieval history so he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be seeing her around anytime soon. He made the long, lonely walk to the nearest burger place. 

Sakura’s Burgers was pretty lively with students on weekends and at night, but on the off hours of a Monday, it was all but dead. Hajime ordered and took a secluded seat with his food, opening his laptop to work on a paper that was due in a few days. He’d been switching between eating and working for a little while when he heard the door open and he glanced up.  _ Oh. Weird. Library guy.  _ Hajime blinked and turned back to his work. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long. There was something ethereal about the other man that constantly drew Hajime’s gaze but he was beginning to wonder when his staring would start to turn creepy so he forced himself to focus his attention back on his paper. 

Fifteen minutes later, Hajime snuck another glance up. Library Guy was wincing at the sunlit window behind Hajime, almost looking like he was hiding behind the four burgers on his tray. 

_ Wait.  _

_ Four burgers? _

Hajime blinked in confusion at the stack of burgers on Library Guy’s tray. Hajime wasn’t a light eater and he still only ate one or two if he was really hungry. There was no way the stick thin guy in front of him was going to eat four burgers.  _ Wait- five burgers. Oh my God.  _ A fifth burger was sitting next to the stack of four. Library Guy was staring with an intense hunger at them like he hadn’t eaten in days.  _ Okay. Maybe he just, I dunno, really likes cheeseburgers. Can’t blame him for that. That’s pretty normal.  _

Hajime sighed and turned back to his work. The background noise of the restaurant was actually really nice while he studied. He was getting into a groove, really feeling his paper - _ buzz _ . His phone vibrated in his pocket. Hajime frowned. Ignored it.  _ I have work to do.  _ The points he was making on his paper were pretty good and he was feeling confident, nodding along happily as he typed.  _ Buzz.  _ Hajime grimaced and pulled his phone from his pocket. Multiple texts from his groupchat. 

**Chiaki: youve got to come to monomi’s rn it’s super important**

**Ibuki: 2 cool 4 words**

Gundham sent a hamster emoji. Hajime rolled his eyes. 

**Hajime: Yeah fine, I’ll be there.**

He pressed send and packed his laptop back up.  _ So much for studying I guess.  _ He started to take his tray to the trash, giving himself one last look at the Library Guy who was working on his second burger, looking deep in thought. 

Hajime walked back to his car and drove to Monomi’s, parking in his usual spot behind the restaurant. Technically it was for employee’s only, but Gundham being the manager and all made the rules a little lax. He heard the door chime jingle and noticed the “closed” sign on the door. Gundham, Sonia, Ibuki, and Chiaki were sitting at one of the circular tables in the middle of the restaurant, but someone was with them. Hajime squinted. He was fairly sure he’d never seen that man before. He walked up and took a seat. 

“Hajime, meet Kokichi Ouma!” Sonia introduced the short man, who was drinking the purple soda from the soda fountain that Hajime had never been brave enough to try. He’d once watched a kid drink four glasses of it and start visibly vibrating. He was at least 30% sure Gundham put some sort of illicit drug in there. He raised an eyebrow, but extended his hand. 

“Uh, nice to meet you. Who are you, exactly?”

“You haven’t heard of me?” Kokichi sounded unimpressed. 

“He’s a real life vampire hunter!” Chiaki smiled excitedly. Ibuki hummed the Buffy the Vampire Slayer theme song. Hajime resisted the very strong urge to just stand up and leave. 

“A-ah. Let me guess. You’re here ‘cause all the ‘vampire murders’ or whatever?” Hajime was trying to sound civil but he wasn’t sure how well it was working.  _ I’ll put up with their weird little club and all the constant spam about ghosts in the group chat, but I’m not gonna sit here and entertain some sort of con man and let him pull my friends along like that.  _

“Wow! And you must be the club’s psychic!” Kokichi feigned amazement. 

“Oh, no, Hajime’s just kinda here.” Ibuki shook her head. Kokichi and Hajime both glanced at her. “I don’t think he can, like, talk to dead people.”

“He was being sarcastic, Ibuki. Ignore him.” Hajime groaned, rubbing his temples. 

“No I wasn’t.” Kokichi frowned, eyes wide like he was genuinely offended. One of Gundham’s hamsters crawled out from God-knows-where and scratched at Kokichi’s white coat. 

“He senses a presence.” Gundham exclaimed. Hajime was exactly sure when or what made Gundham believe his hamsters were psychic, but he did know that it had led the rest of the group on more wild goose chases than anything else combined. Kokichi smirked and pulled his jacket open slightly to retrieve a wooden spike. Hajime hissed in a breath.  _ What the fuck? What the actual fuck? _ Kokichi glanced at him with an annoyed expression. 

“What are you? The cops? Don’t act like a pussy, I’m the real deal.” He put the spike back wherever it had come from and leaned forward to the group, balancing his arms on the table. “So, as I laid out in my expertly written e-mail, I’m the country’s top vampire hunter and after going through as many paranormal sites as I could find, you guys definitely know your shit the most. So… I’ve decided to recruit you all for my super-secret, vampire hunting mission.” He grinned as Ibuki and Sonia clapped their hands in excitement. Hajime almost opened his mouth to say something, but Chiaki noticed and shot him a glance. He shut his mouth and watched Kokichi continue his spiel to the others with as unimpressed of a face as he could manage. “I’ve narrowed the vampire on the loose to be in this area-”  _ No fucking duh, this is the only town with the vampire murder spree happening.  _ “And I’m certain they’re around your age.”

“What makes you say that?” Chiaki tilted her head to the side. Kokichi’s eyes lit up. 

“I was hoping you’d ask! In my recently published book here,” Kokichi held up a small book with something about vampire hunting on the cover.  _ He’s a total con man, oh my God.  _ “Which is now only 8.99 since I consider you all friends, I detail exactly how to tell how old a vampire is by their feeding habits. Newer vampires are more reckless and messy, they haven’t perfected their technique yet and obviously this one hasn’t yet, either.” Kokichi set the book down on the table. Hajime picked it up and turned it over, revealing the 4.99 price tag on the back.  _ Hm. 8.99 for friends, huh? _

Kokichi and the others discussed the “vampire on the loose” for another half hour while Hajime fought desperately against sleep.  _ Do they actually believe everything he’s saying or are they just more polite than me? _ He wondered idly. When Kokichi was finished, Hajime watched him leave, promising Gundham he’d return for their next meeting to work on their plan. Chiaki and Hajime were the only two still left at the table. Chiaki was frowning, playing a game on her phone. “I know you think he’s phony, but I promise he’s got some cred. Everyone on the internet knows him.” She looked up for a moment. “In this one vampire themed mmorpg that I play, they had to outlaw the username Kokichi ‘cause so many people kept switching to it. I know it’s not your thing, but… at least let us get excited over it.”

“You’re right. Sorry. He’s just… a little much. I mean, it’s all a little much.” Hajime stood up, straightening out his shirt. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gundham and sonia excitedly discuss the recent murders. “Don’t you guys find it… I dunno, a bit morbid?” 

“Yeah.” Chiaki mumbled, eyes flicking to where Hajime was watching. “But they want to make a difference. It’s not like they want to help the killer, they’re trying to catch him. Everyone has their own ways of feeling better about the world.”

“Hm.” Hajime didn’t sound convinced. 

 

* * *

 

 

Hajime didn’t find his way to the science hall very often. Being a liberal arts kid, he tended to avoid it whenever possible. But apparently one of his classes was meeting there because of construction. He sat through his lecture, willing himself to pay attention as best he could. When it was over, he threw his backpack over his shoulder and started to make his way out of the building. He ended up at a split hallway that veered either to the left or the right. Hajime took a breath.  _ Which way did I come from? _ He glanced to a nearby office, considering asking for directions.  _ I don’t wanna look like an idiot.  _ He decided against better judgement. Hajime turned to the left and took that hallway. After walking down it for a few minutes, he was starting to realize he was definitely very lost. It was one thing to get lost in the social sciences building or the language hall. Libraries and study rooms were everywhere, he could just find somewhere to sit and get his bearings. But every room around him looked too official to just pop into, and the multiple caution signs on every lab entrance were like additional sirens, telling him he was visibly, obviously lost. He sighed in annoyance and turned back around to where he’d come from, starting down the uniformly white and sterile looking hall. 

A class a few doors ahead of him had just gotten out and students were filtering out of the room. He slowed his pace to avoid walking through the crowd and started to pull his phone from his pocket until he heart a tiny  _ oh _ noise. Hajime looked up. The Library Guy was standing a few feet away from him, a stack of his papers in his hands. It looked like he’d just come from the same class Hajime had noticed. “Oh, uh, hey.” Hajime approached him.  _ Okay finally, I can ask this guy for directions on how to get out of here.  _ “I didn’t know we went to the same university.”

“Me neither.” The Library Guy shook his head, looking disoriented. He did his best to balance the papers he was holding so he could hold out his hand. “I’m Nagito Komaeda, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Hajime Hinata.” Hajime shook his hand. He looked around. “So’re you, um…” He glanced at the plaque on the front of the classroom. “A bio major?”

“No. I just enjoy the subject.” 

“Really?” Hajime thought about every time lipids and mRNA had ruined his GPA in high school and frowned. “What are you, then?”

“Art history.” Definitely not the words he’d been expecting Nagito to say.  _ I don’t think I’ve ever met an art history kid who would take unnecessary bio courses without the threat of torture or something.  _

“Oh, that’s, uh, cool. So you’re into like, art and stuff?”  _ That is probably the dumbest question I could have asked.  _ Nagito nodded, still looking like he was lost, himself. “Um, well I’m a lit major, so I’m not really used to being here and I’m kind of, uh, lost. I’m guessing you know how where the exit is?”

“Mhmm.” Nagito nodded and started walking, waiting for Hajime to catch up with him. Hajime noticed he was almost as pale as the walls behind them.  _ He needs to get out in the sun more, jeez.  _ “Are you also keeping up with the recent murders?” Nagito asked in a quiet voice. “The books you were renting-”  _ There it is. Great.  _

“No. I don’t really…”  _ How do I say this politely? “ _ I don’t believe in that stuff. The books were for a friend of mine.” Hajime expected Nagito to seem disappointed, but his shoulders sagged in relief. 

“Oh. Good. I don’t stay up to date on crime very much either.” Nagito forced an awkward smile. “I was just doing a paper on Munch and obviously there’s the famous nickname for Love and Pain and I thought the books would help-”  _ I don’t know what these words mean.  _

“Erm, Munch? Like, the Scream or whatever?” Hajime’s brow was furrowed. Nagito nodded excitedly. 

“Yes! Have you seen his painting Love and Pain?”

“Erm, no. Sorry.”

“Everyone calls it Vampire. I thought it’d be interesting to write about it.” Nagito’s eyes were far away with some sort of intense excitement. “But anyway, the exit’s right up those stairs. It was nice to meet you, Hajime.”

“Uh yeah, you too.” Hajime waved a goodbye and walked up the stairs Nagito had directed him to. 

 

* * *

 

 

A few days later, Hajime was taking Advil in advance for Ibuki’s concert. He’d learned the hard way that not preparing to have his eardrums blown out didn’t end well. Ibuki had been in a band with some of her other friends for a few years now and they played every once and awhile around town. She was opening for a band Hajime had never heard of, but Gundham went crazy over so he bought his tickets along with the rest of the group. 

He drove with Chiaki to the venue and they met up with Gundham and Sonia. They waited around awhile until Ibuki and her band took the stage and they all went wild. Even if he did usually end up with a migraine after Ibuki’s concerts, Hajime had to admit that knowing the performer and being there for most of their song writing processes made it a hell of a lot more fun. He could feel the music buzzing in his chest and the neon flashing lights up close to the stage were making a surreal landscape out of the venue for him. 

When Ibuki’s set was done, Chiaki ran off to find her and congratulate her. He tried to find Gundham in the chaos but with his all black clothing, it proved too difficult. He caught a flash of Sonia’s blonde hair in the mosh pit but unlike her, he didn’t have the guts to test his luck at making it through the sea of bodies intact. He sighed and made his way to the outskirts of the room, trying to at least find somewhere a bit quieter to look for Gundham. 

Hajime settled near the bar, eyes scanning the room. They landed on the bar itself and Hajime was surprised to recognize Nagito of all people sitting on a barstool. A man with long hair was leaned over his shoulder having what looked to be a tense conversation with him. Whoever the man was, he put a hand to his forehead and left Nagito at the bar, disappearing into the sea of people in front of them. Hajime took the seat next to Nagito and tapped his shoulder. Nagito had a hood pulled up over him like he was hiding from the world and he didn’t shrug it off when he noticed Hajime. “Ah, hello, Hajime!” He smiled warmly, voice almost lost in the noise. Hajime resisted the urge to wince at Nagito’s appearance. He was somehow even paler than the last time they’d spoken, his eyes sunken in dark circles and rimmed with red. _Maybe he’s been drinking too much?_ _But I mean, this looks more like he’s hungover than drunk._

“Uh, you good?” He asked, the concern plain in his voice. Nagito nodded shortly. 

“I am just a bit under the weather, Hajime. Nothing to worry about.” Nagito’s voice shook. It could’ve just been him trying to make himself loud over the music, but something told Hajime it was more than that. “Are you interested in the band playing?” Nagito noticed the worried look on Hajime’s face and quickly changed the subject. 

“Er, yeah. My friend Ibuki’s band was the opening act.” He near-shouted as the music behind them swelled. Nagito smiled weakly. 

“How wonderful! She’s very talented.” 

“I’ll tell her you said that. So what are you doing here?” 

“A friend invited me.” Nagito said and Hajime had to lean closer to understand him. He looked over his shoulder and saw a brief flash of purple.  _ Gundham’s scarf. Found him.  _ Hajime stood up from his seat to get a better look and Nagito followed suit, swaying in his spot. Hajime caught him just in time before he collapsed to the floor. 

“Jesus, dude if you’re too drunk to stand up, you should go home. Where’s your friend?” 

“Mm. I’m not sure. I’m not drunk, though, Hajime. I’ll be fine. I should probably be going.” He wiggled lazily out of Hajime’s grasp and started stumbling towards the door. Hajime followed him, pushing past the people between them. When he got to the exit, he nodded to the security at the entrance. They knew him through Ibuki and he knew they’d let him back in if he needed. Hajime grabbed the back of Nagito’s jacket to stop him from stepping into the street. 

“Where are you going? Dude, let me at least drive you home or call you a cab or something. You can’t drive like this.”

“‘M not drunk.” Nagito shook his head, wincing like the action was painful. 

“Okay, uhhh… Are you on something right now?” Hajime raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t realized Nagito was shaking until he stepped into the clear light of the moon. Nagito just shook his head. “Is it the flu-” Hajime started but cut himself off when Nagito doubled over. He dragged him away from the street and into the alley that went around the venue. Nagito took a shaky breath and retched. Hajime looked away but put a hand on his back. “What were you drinking?”  _ Maybe he was allergic to something? If he’s positive it’s not just alcohol making him throw up- _

Something about the question caused a full body shudder through Nagito and he threw up again. Before he could stop himself, Hajime looked down and took an instinctive step back. “Holy shit.  _ Holy shit. _ That’s not puke.” He stared in horror at the blood stain forming on the pavement. Nagito just nodded. “Did you fucking swallow glass or something? You’ve gotta tell me what happened or I can’t help, I-”

“You don’t need to help, Hajime.” Nagito’s voice was slightly cold. Hajime scoffed. 

“Yeah and you’re that ‘vampire’ on the loose.” He didn’t mean to sound like an asshole, but he did. Nagito just glared up at him. Hajime pulled his phone from his pocket and texted Chiaki. 

**Hajime: Hey I ran into a friend of mine and he’s pretty sick, can you ride w Ibuki?**

**Chiaki: sure thing. I’ll tell her u say hi.**

He sighed in relief and put his phone away. “Are you done?” He offered a hand to Nagito, who took it and straightened up. “Come on.” He let Nagito lean on his shoulder and started the walk to his car. It was only a block or so away but having the six foot tall sick guy on his shoulder made it seem a bit longer. “What’s the blood from?”

Nagito mumbled something incoherently. Hajime unlocked his car and helped (pushed) Nagito into the passenger side. “Where do you live?” He asked. Nagito was curled up on the seat, eyes closed.  _ Fuck.  _ “Do you live on campus?”  _ Hopefully. Then I can just drop him with campus security and be on my way.  _ Nagito shook his head.  _ Great.  _ He gave an address, voice sounding dry and pained. “Okay, I know where that is, I think. Um, here.” He reached behind both of them and dug through his backseat for a bottle of water. There was only one, half drunk. He offered it to Nagito, who took it, anyway. He started the car and drove towards the general area he was pretty sure Nagito’s street was on. He was surprised a student lived there. It was on the outskirts of the off-campus apartment options  for most students and it was almost always too expensive. Nagito pointed vaguely in the direction of an apartment complex and Hajime pulled over. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to the hospital or something?”

“I’m completely fine, Hajime. You really shouldn’t worry.” He waved him off. 

“Wait-” Hajime called out as Nagito started up the stairs, gait uneven. “Did your friend drive you or is your car still back there?”

“It’s fine, I’ll call someone in the morning.” Nagito frowned, mouth making a small line. Hajime shook his head and started walking towards him again. 

“Just call me if that doesn’t work. I’ll give you my number.” He held his hand out and Nagito put his phone in Hajime’s palm. He typed in his name and number and handed it back. “You’re sure you’re okay?” He asked one last time. Nagito just nodded curtly. 

“Goodnight.”

“Uh. Yeah, see ya’.” Hajime got back in his car. He started it, but waited to drive away until he saw that Nagito got into the apartment okay. Hajime checked his phone and saw a text from Sonia telling him that they’d gone to Sakura’s Burgers. He shook his head to clear it and started on the drive there. 

Hajime parked and walked into the restaurant, taking his seat with his friends in the corner. “Hey guys, sorry I’m late.”

“Did your friend survive?” Gundham asked with a serious face. 

“Yep.” Hajime turned to Ibuki. “Nice job tonight, you guys sounded really good.” She flashed him a smile and rock sign. Chiaki was asleep on her shoulder, light snores barely audible. 

“Kokichi will be meeting with us again soon!” Sonia put her hands together and beamed. Gundham nodded. 

“His dark plan to defeat the contrasting evil in our city will surely result in victory.” Gundham’s voice was ripe with excitement. 

“Yeah! Go little purple man!” Ibuki slammed her coke down, spilling some on the table. Hajime sighed and handed her a napkin.  _ It’s not use getting in the argument with them. Maybe I should be reevaluating my friend choices? They’re all fucking vampire hunters or whatever the hell now.  _ He could almost hear his mind groan at him. Chiaki woke up when Ibuki slammed the coke, she blinked drowsily at Hajime. She gave him a little wave and then returned to sleeping. He slouched in the booth and stared at the off-white ceiling. Something occurred to him and he looked back at his friends. 

“Hey, Sonia, you took a class on French impressionism, right?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Em, oui, mais c’était en fran-”

“What.” 

“It was in French.” Sonia shook her head. “So I don’t know if I’d recommend it to you for an art credit, since it might be hard to keep up with the coursework if you can’t speak the language-”

“No, I didn’t mean for me. My friend who was sick earlier, he’s an art history major. I was just gonna see if he’d been in that class with you or whatever. But there’s probably a ton of those, and I’m not really sure if he takes French or not.” Hajime leaned his chin on his elbow, staring out the window. Gundham took a bite of his burger and then set it down, a solemn expression his face. 

“My roommate has once again delved into the world of lies.” His tone was dark and Hajime had to hold back a laugh. In their friend group, Sonia and Hajime lived off campus while Chiaki and Ibuki roomed together. Gundham, however, had been forced to find a new roommate, and he’d been matched with Souda Kazuichi, a physics major. 

“What’d he do? What’d he do?” Ibuki was bouncing slightly, but Chiaki managed to sleep through it.  _ That’s probably how they function as roommates.  _

“I was returning from my training-”  _ you  _ don’t _ need to call your religion class that, Gundham. You really don’t.  _ “When I received a message. ‘Do not enter our room, I have a  _ girl _ over.’” Gundham looked at the pitiful ketchup packet in front of him, his expression to it matching his story. “However, I was in dire need of feeding the Devas. It is necessary for Jum-P to consume nutrients at  _ exactly _ three pm or else his powers may fail him.”

“Gundham  _ please _ tell me you didn’t go back to the dorm anyway.” Hajime half laughed, half groaned. Gundham looked perplexed. 

“How did you guess? Perhaps you are psychic!” His eyes were wide. “There was no woman in our room!”

“Apparently, Souda was actually just eating chips!” Sonia chirped. “Maybe it was some sort of slang we didn’t recognize? Is there a brand of chips called ‘girl?’ Oh, but he didn’t want Gundham to see it… Maybe he didn’t want to share?” Sonia frowned, deep in thought. 

“He’s just an incel.” Chiaki mumbled, eyes still closed. Hajime snorted, trying to hold in the laughter he could feel bubbling inside of him.  _ Okay maybe I was wrong about getting new friends. They’re lame idiots but I love them.  _

 

* * *

 

 

Hajime went home that night and crashed into his bed, only to be woken up by his phone early in the morning. “Ugh, shut up.” He snapped at it, as if it would listen. He reached around the nightstand for it, trying to shut off the alarm. He picked it up when that didn’t work and finally opened his eyes. An unknown caller was flashing on his screen. “Hello?” His voice was heavy with sleep, still. 

“Hajime?”

“‘S me.” Hajime rubbed the sleep from his eyes. 

“It’s Nagito Komaeda. I’m calling to apologize for last night.” Nagito’s voice was nervous but Hajime was too tired to pay enough attention to notice.

“It’s fine, don’t worry.”

“No, I didn’t mean to cause extra stress for you. We’ve only known each other for a few days and I’ve already-”

“It’s all good.” Hajime said with a bit more force this time. Nagito stopped. There was a slight pause. ”Are you, like, okay? You kind of puked up blood last night.” Hajime rubbed his temples, remembering the experience. 

“I have the flu.”

“Huh.” Hajime’s voice betrayed how little that convinced him. “Did you get your car back?”

“Erm, not yet, but-”

“Do you need me to go pick you up and drive you back to it, ‘cause-”

“No, I already owe you, Hajime.”

“You really don’t owe me anything, Nagito, I promise.” There was a pause and a short breath on the other end. 

“May I take you out to dinner? To pay you back for the hassle last night?” There was a hint of something in Nagito’s voice that Hajime couldn’t discern. 

“Yeah. Sure.” Hajime thought about his schedule for a moment. “I mean, I’m kinda free whenever so…”  _ It might be nice to get to know Nagito. Weird or not, he seems like a nice enough guy and it’s probably good for me to know more people.  _

“Does Monday evening work?”

“Yeah. See you then.” 

“Have a nice day, Hajime.”

“Uh, you too.” Hajime hung up and rolled back into bed. A few hours later, he got dressed and grabbed his backpack, heading to the pizza shack. He knew it wasn’t likely that he’d get much studying done but,  _ I might as well try.  _ He drove there and walked in the front door, listening to the door chime. Chiaki was at the front, head resting on her palm as she absent-mindedly flipped through to-go menus. “Hey.” Hajime smiled. 

“Heya Hajime.” She yawned. “I’m still tired from last night.”

“You went to bed before all of us.” He laughed. Chiaki smirked. 

“Well, yeah. Still tired.” She just wrote down  _ Hajime _ on a slip of paper instead of taking his order and sent it back to Gundam in the kitchen. He found an empty table and spread out his homework. A few minutes later, Sonia joined him. Ibuki brought both of their orders out and they talked for awhile until someone flagged her down for a refill on their drink. They studied together for an hour or so until off hours started approaching and customers began filing out until they were two of the only patrons left. Ibuki and Chiaki squeezed in at their table. 

“There’s gonna be a secret showing of Dracula in our hall Monday night, you should all come.” Chiaki sounded excited. 

“Why’s it a ‘secret’ showing?” Hajime frowned. 

“Because our hall coordinator said it was in bad taste to play dracula with all the murders going on and stuff, so we’re just moving it downstairs and doing it.”

“Sounds delightful!” Sonia smiled. 

“I actually can’t Monday night. I’m going out with a friend.” Hajime said in an apologetic tone. 

“I thought we were your only friends?”

“Okay, first of all  _ ouch _ , second of all, contrary to popular belief, apparently, I  _ do _ have friends.”

“Who?” Chiaki raised an eyebrow. “You never talked about this.”

“The guy from last night. He’s taking me out to dinner to say sorry.” The table fell silent. Hajime looked around. “What?” 

“Dinner?” Sonia tilted her head. 

“I, uh, yeah.” Hajime scratched the back of his neck, suddenly feeling awkward. Ibuki sucked in a breath.

“Hajime’s got a da-te. Hajime’s gonna go on a  _ da-te _ .” She started singing loudly. Hajime scrambled forward to stop her. 

“It’s not a date! He’s just some guy I know. I really don’t think he meant it-” Hajime froze. “Oh God. What if it  _ is _ a date?” He put a hand to his head. “What if he thinks we’re a thing now? I barely know him. Do I even want to date him?” He looked to Chiaki, she was usually the only one in the group he could trust for good advice. 

“Is he cute?” She asked.

Hajime thought for a moment. “ _ Yeah _ , but like-”

“Okay, go for it. If it’s a date, cool he’s cute and you never have to see him again if it’s weird. If it’s not a date, you can hang out with him.” She shrugged. He nodded.  _ She’s right, it’s just.... It feels weird. I never even thought about that option. Would I want to date Nagito? I barely know him at all and most of our interactions have been kinda weird, but I guess that doesn’t totally change things. Or does it? Dating is so awkward, though.  _ “Bring condoms just to be safe, though.” Chiaki said solemnly. 

“ _ Oh my God. _ ” He sank into the booth. “You guys are terrible.” 

 

* * *

 

 

Monday evening rolled around faster than Hajime expected it too. Chiaki sent him a selfie of the rest of the group at the Dracula “secret” showing and he responded absentmindedly. Hajime had made the executive decision  _ not _ to buy condoms because he was 99% sure his friends were just overthinking the situation.  _ Okay, maybe more like 80%. Or 75%. 73%.... Fuck.  _ He’d arranged a time with Nagito earlier and offered to pick him up.  _ I mean, I already know where he lives. Also, I drove him home that one time so he knows I’m not like, a serial killer or something. Okay actually saying that makes me sound like a serial killer.  _ Hajime grabbed his keys and headed out to his car and then to Nagito’s apartment. He texted him and a few moments later, he spotted a mess of white hair past the gate. He unlocked the car door and waited for Nagito to climb in. “Hello Hajime.” Nagito smiled brightly. 

“Hey. Did you think of some place to go?”

“No. I’m not very decisive, forgive me.”

“That’s fine, uh, my friend runs a pizza place down the road-” Hajime started but Nagito’s already pale skin turned nearly ivory. 

“I have a garlic allergy.” Nagito said quickly, an awkward smile adorning his face. Hajime shrugged. 

“Oh, my bad. Um… Y’know, I’m pretty indecisive, too, so if there’s anywhere you’d like to go-”

“Togami-”

“Nope.” Hajime coughed. “I’m not gonna go to the most expensive restaurant in the area when someone else is paying.” He shook his head. 

“Ah, sorry.” Nagito thought for a moment. “There’s a cafe on 2nd avenue that’s-”

“Oh! Yeah! I know that place. My friend Sonia studies there sometimes.” Hajime started the car and began driving. “So, um, how are you?” He cringed at his own awkward tone, hoping Nagito didn’t notice how nervous he was. 

“I’m alright.” Nagito looked out the window at the passing apartments and stores. 

“So your flu’s getting better?”

“Flu?”

“That you said made you throw up blood?”

“Oh.” Nagito’s eyes went wide for a split second. “Yes, I’m feeling much better. It’s kind of you to ask, Hajime.” 

“It’s not a big deal.” He shrugged. “Um, so art history, huh? How’d you end up there?”  _ Why am I talking like I’m 45? Holy shit I can’t function.  _

“I enjoy art. I think it gives a certain insight to the world that sometimes words can’t. And it’s interesting. You can see entire cultures and histories and personalities in paintings when you know what to look for.”

“Yeah? Give me an example.” Hajime was too focused on driving to form a super coherent thought. 

“Well,” Nagito took a breath. “There’s a painting called the Baptism of Pocahontas by an artist named Chapman. He painted it at a time that tensions between white Americans and Native Americans was extreme, and so even though the painting looks very peaceful, there are actually a lot of details that tell you more about the history. For example, most of the colonists are standing while- Oh, I’m going off on a bit of a tangent. Apologies.” Nagito cut himself off, his tone sounding nervous again. Hajime shook his head. 

“You’re fine. I get it, I get way too into books and stuff. But I’ve gotta disagree with you that art tells stories words can’t. At least in my opinion, I think written media’s a lot more effective.”

“A picture is worth a thousand words, Hajime.” Nagito hummed in an almost mocking tone. Hajime laughed. They were technically disagreeing, but the interaction felt normal. Light. Definitely not the anxiety inducing small talk Hajime had been anticipating. 

They arrived at the restaurant and Hajime parked. After sitting down and ordering, Nagito looked up from his menu, slightly fidgety. “I know that we talked about it briefly on the phone earlier, Hajime, but I really do want to apologize for Friday night. I’m sure that was worrying for you, I should have been more careful.”

“Been more careful with  _ what _ ?” Hajime frowned. Nagito’s face went entirely blank for a moment before he regained his composure. 

“My words.” He took a coy sip of water and then looked back again at Hajime. “So if you’re a literature major, do you read often?”

“Erm, well I used to,” Hajime always felt a little guilty talking about how his reading habits had dropped off. “But now I don’t usually have time with how much I have to for school. I feel like the reading never stops.” He scratched the back of his neck and took a deep breath. “But I’m not complaining. I love the novels we read, I’ve just been working more than usual lately so I’m a bit worn out.” Hajime straightened up in his seat, realizing he was opening more than he wanted to. “How about you? I mean, do you just appreciate art or do you paint, too?”

“I sketch from time to time, but I’m absolutely dreadful so I wouldn’t count it as more than chicken scratch. I mostly just prefer to admire art from afar. I enjoy beautiful things.” Nagito looked at Hajime with a sudden intensity that took him aback. 

“Um, nice.” Hajime said too quickly. He wanted to change the subject. “So… uh, what made you decide to live over here? It’s a little out of the way.” Hajime glanced out the window of the cafe at the bustling street outside. 

“It was prettier.” Nagito mumbled, following his gaze to the outside. “Are you from the area?”

“Born and raised. Same with most of my friends besides Sonia. How about you?”

“No, I just chose here because of the art history program.” Nagito shook his head. “It must be nice being near family and friends, though.” He smiled warmly and took a sip of his water. 

“It’s got its ups and its downs. I’d assume it’d be nice to have space, too?”

“A-ha,” Nagito’s breath came out in a tumble, like a mix between a laugh and a nervous cough. “Too much distance, but that wasn’t because of school. My parents died when I was in high school. There wasn’t much for me to leave behind.”

“O-oh. Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject.” Hajime pursed his lips.  _ Doing great, accidentally brought up his dead parents. Who lets me talk?! _

“Tell me about your friends.” Nagito said in a rushed tone, but Hajime was grateful for the topic change. 

“Er, well my best friend is Chiaki. We’ve been friends since we were kids. She’s a comp sci major. She’s definitely my most level headed friend,”  _ because the rest of them are fucking crazy.  _ “She’s roommates with Ibuki, the one who played the other night. She’s… She’s a riot. Gundham studies religion, I think? I’m not really sure, in all honesty. He’s kind of cagey about his major. He’s a weird guy, but he’s nice. Usually. His girlfriend, Sonia started hanging out with us when they started dating and now she’s just sort of one of us.”

“Sonia Nevermind?” Nagito perked up. 

“Yeah! Do you know her?”

“We were in a course on impressionism together a year ago.” Nagito nodded thoughtfully. 

“Oh, yeah! I asked her about that, but she said it was in French. You, um, speak French?”

“ _ En peu.  _ It was recommended for art history and I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea either way.” Nagito thanked their waiter politely as their food arrived. The rest of their conversation was at times awkward and halting, but it was at least existent and Hajime was pretty sure that between the two of them, it was the best they would get. Nagito invited him to his apartment afterwards, Hajime agreed to just come up for a moment or two and see the place. 

“Oh jeez, this is really nice.” Hajime looked around the impeccably clean and decorated apartment. He had a few posters up and a throw pillow or two that Sonia had given him for a birthday, but for the most part, his apartment was a mess of random clutter and furniture.  _ He’s gotta be loaded.  _ Hajime thought. 

“Thank you.” Nagito smiled like he was genuinely proud of the apartment.  _ He should be, it’s nice. It’s probably one of the first completely genuine smiles I’ve seen from him. It’s cute. He’s cute.  _ Hajime shook the thought from his head and picked up an art book from the coffee table. “Musée d’Orsay.” Nagito explained, watching Hajme flip through the pages. “I’m a rather big fan of impressionism.” He was standing behind Hajime, watching the paintings with an almost tender gaze. “The first impressionists were ridiculed by critics. They were seen as idiots and failed painters but they were determined, inspired by their own hope and-” Nagito cut himself off, his voice sounding slightly breathy. “It’s just very interesting, is all.” He let out a small laugh that Hajime could feel on the back of his neck. 

“Oh! Hey, I know this one!” Hajime perked up, pointing to a specific painting in the book. A battlefield of corpses was stretched out across the paintings, while a sphynx consoled a dying angel, reaching out to her in pain amongst the bloodshed. 

“The Enigma by Gustave Doré. You know it?” Nagito took a step closer and suddenly they were touching. 

“Yeah, it’s on the cover of my copy of Antigone.” Hajime squinted at the painting. “I’ve never seen the full thing before. It’s so… sad.” 

“Mhm.” Nagito nodded, running a finger underneath the bottom of the page. “They call this a ‘Harvest of Death.’ It was a scene popularized in the American Civil War from war photographs.” Nagito’s voice was slightly breathier than usual, like he was getting excited just talking about the painting. “Of course, Gustave started this in the 1830s, but by the time it was finished, the war had happened. See the foggy background and corpses in the foreground? It’s very typical of a 19th century war painting.” Nagito seemed suddenly so much more fluid and comfortable than he normally was. 

“I didn’t know that. I just sort of admired it on Antigone.” Hajime scratched the back of his neck and turned to face Nagito. “It’s cool you’re so into this stuff. Must help with studying.” 

Nagito laughed again, an eyebrow raised. “It can.”

“I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love books. But there are a lot that I definitely could not bring myself to read.” Hajime laughed. “I know that sounds bad, but I can promise you I don’t know a single lit major who’s read every book we’re supposed to.”

“Well I’ve never read Antigone so now we’re even, Hajime.” Nagito’s eyes were playful. “Would you recommend it?” He asked, eyes big and curious like he was hanging on Hajime’s answer. Something about that felt nice. It felt nice having someone who wanted to hear about his major and who could continue the discussion with him. Nice to have a new friend. 

“Oh, for sure. It’s really interesting and if you’re into, like, history it kind of ties into World War II and…” Hajime and Nagito talked about Antigone for what felt like fifteen minutes but turned out to be a few hours. Then, they moved back to art and Nagito excitedly showed Hajime the difference between two Russian artists he’d never heard of before, but something about Nagito’s enthusiastic explanation made it interesting anyway. By the time Hajime realized he was exhausted, he was also realizing that it was also getting close to one in the morning. “Holy shit, I’ve been here like, forever.” He blinked at his phone in surprise. Nagito stretched. 

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to trap you here-”

“No, I had a good time. I’m just, y’know, tired.” Hajime yawned. His hands went to his pocket for his keys but the thought of walking all the way downstairs and driving home was not appealing to his drowsy limbs.  _ Maybe I’ll just stay a bit longer, then.  _ Sometime during the conversation, they’d moved to Nagito’s couch. Hajime leaned back into it, grimacing when he realized it was definitely more of a decorative couch than a  _ living _ couch. He closed his eyes for a second. “You have a nice voice, Nagito. It’s soothing.” He said before he could process what the words even meant. He groaned. “Actually, that’s probably really weird to say. Just… ignore me. I’m kind of out of it today.” He sighed at his own awkwardness, avoiding eye contact with Nagito. 

Nagito had turned beet red, eyes blinking in surprise. “Y-yes. You must be out of it, Hajime.” He looked away. 

“Talk some more about painting stuff.” Hajime mumbled. “It’s interesting.”  _ Well, actually his voice really is nice and it’s like the perfect calming sound and I just wanna rest for a bit, but saying all that is probably rude if he realizes what I’m trying to imply and I don’t feel like making our relationship awkward yet.  _

“Ok.” Nagito mumbled, looking around the room desperately for a painting to talk about. His eyes fell on a book sitting on one of his shelves about Cezanne and he went into a spiel about him.  _ I’ve been talking mostly about impressionists, what if Hajime gets bored of that?  _ Nagito’s mind was wandering as he talked.  _ Why is he letting me talk so long? Most people don’t let me talk so long.  _ He was starting to panic, wondering just what Hajime could be receiving from listening to him or giving him any time of day now that Nagito had already paid for the food. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden pressure on his shoulder. He froze. Hajime had fallen asleep, leaning on Nagito’s shoulder as he talked. No one was ever that comfortable with him. 

Nagito wanted nothing more than to just let Hajime rest there on his shoulder forever. The weight of another human was something he hadn’t felt in years like that. He willed himself to tap Hajime’s shoulder. “Mm?” Hajime blinked back awake for a moment. 

“Hajime, I hate to disturb you, but you need to wake up if you want to be awake enough to drive home-” He stopped when he realized Hajime had fallen back asleep, just moved down the couch to curl up next to Nagito. Something in the white haired man’s heart fluttered so strongly that he almost forgot to breathe for a moment. “Hajime?” He tried again but got no response. He watched Hajime for a moment.  _ He looks so peaceful.  _

 

* * *

 

 

Hajime woke up with an ache in his back in an unfamiliar room. He rubbed his neck and sat up, suddenly aware of the green jacket that fell off of him when he did. He looked around in confusion, piecing together the previous night and slapping a hand to his forehead.  _ Oh my God, I’m a fucking toddler. I fell asleep while I was talking to Nagito last night? Seriously? He invites me over for a second and I crash at his house without asking? _ “Ugh, I’m a fucking mess.” Hajime mumbled and stood up, doing his best to straighten out the cushions that he’d accidentally messed up by sleeping on them. He picked the coat up off the floor, recognizing it as Nagito’s.  _ That was… really sweet.  _ Hajime looked around.  _ I should probably tell him I’m heading out, but I don’t know where he is.  _ Hajime phone went off and he pulled it from his pocket. It was almost dead. 

There was a snapchat from Chiaki. He opened it and responded with a quick selfie before putting it back and continuing to tentatively explore the house. He stepped into what looked like the kitchen only to realize it was a dead end. He turned back to the living room and down a hall. He opened the first door to find a study, art prints and books strewn across every open surface. A few sketchbooks were sitting on the desk. Hajime remembered Nagito’s comment about sketching and approached the sketchbook.  _ Holy shit. He’s actually good.  _ He leaned closer to the pencil drawing in front of him. He recognized it as a bridge from nearby. _ It’s sorta funny to imagine him sitting on a bench and drawing this over there.  _ Hajime smiled.  _ He’s eccentric, but he’s sweet, I think.  _ Hajime tried the next door, relieved to find it was a bedroom. He knocked a few times before opening the door. 

Hajime was greeted with a sleepy Nagito, eyes heavy and posture relaxed. “Hajime?” Nagito squinted in confusion before recognition crossed his face. “ _ Oh _ .” He startled from the bed, reaching towards a sweater lying on the floor.  _ Why’s he so worried about being in a T-shirt? Chill, dude  _ were Hajime’s first thoughts, before he noticed the scar on the right side of Nagito’s neck, where it met his shoulder. Nagito froze in place when he saw that Hajime had seen it. 

“Is that… Is that a  _ bite mark _ ?” Hajime frowned. Nagito’s mouth opened but no words came out. He looked away, panic clear in his eyes. “Oh.  _ Oh _ .” Hajime felt his eyes go wide. “Nagito, what you do in the bedroom doesn’t concern me, like at all, so if you want me to just forget that’s totally fine ‘cause actually, y’know what? I came in here to say bye and um, here I am so, bye. See you. I should go.” Hajime started to duck out of the room and into the living room. 

“Hajime!” Nagito called, pulling his sweater fully over his head and leaving his bedroom. “Would you… would you mind not mentioning the bite mark to anyone else? It’s somewhat of a sensitive matter and I-”

“Yep. I won’t tell a soul.” Hajime shook his head. “I really should go though, I’ll see you around. We should hang out again.” He waved a goodbye and left, face turning the shade of red he’d been scared it was going to while he was still in front of Nagito. He got to his car and sank into the driver’s seat.  _ Is… Is Nagito sleeping with someone he shouldn’t be? I mean, I can’t imagine how else he’d get a bite mark like that on his neck and I don’t think he’d ask me to not mention it if it’s not a big secret.  _ Hajime’s mind was reeling.  _ But who could it even be? Like what, a professor? It’s not like I’d snitch.  _ Hajime’s thoughts were interrupted by a buzzing in his pocket. He ignored it and started walking to his car, but his phone continued buzzing. He rolled his eyes and checked it. Five snaps from Chiaki.  _ Huh. That’s weird.  _

He opened the first one. Chiaki had taken a selfie with wide eyes. “That’s not your house.” The next was a blurrier photo. “HAJIME, I can see the background, are you at that guy’s house? You spent the night?” The rest went along the same lines. He held back his groan and responded with a quick “no.” Hajime got in his car and drove back home. He got dressed, ignoring the still constant buzzing of his phone and drove to the pizza parlor. The moment he was in the door, Ibuki squealed. 

“Chiaki!” She yelled too loudly to the back of the restaurant. “Hajme is here!” She did a little dance that made Hajime desperately wish she’d stop.  He glanced around, thankful he didn’t know any of the particular people who had looked up to watch Ibuki’s excitement. Chiaki emerged from the kitchen and pulled him into it quickly. 

“ _ You told people?” _ He hissed under his breath, checking behind the nearest crate of pizza boxes to make sure Gundham and Sonia weren’t listening, too. Chiaki shook her head.

“No! Ibuki saw the photo over my shoulder, I swear. But, seriously, Hajime-”

“Oh my God.” He groaned and headed for the door. 

“Hajime you haven’t shown like  _ any _ interest in anyone in years and we’re all just excited-”

“‘We’re?’” Hajime’s eyes flashed nervously. 

“Er,” Chiaki  hesitated. “Sonia and Gundham might sort of, possibly, potentially know.” She winced as she said it. 

“What the fuck.” He brought a hand to his forehead. “Chiaki, I swear on my life that I literally just spent the night there. Nothing happened. Nothing  _ will _ happen. I’m pretty sure he’s with somebody and I’m not even entirely sure I’m interested, so nothing’s gonna happen.” Hajime said in a hushed tone. “There isn’t anything to make a big deal out of.”

“Aw.” Chiaki’s shoulders fell. “You’re  _ sure _ ?”

“Positive.”

“Alright.”

 

* * *

 

 

 _Okay maybe “positive” was a bit of a strong word. It’s not like I’m entirely opposed to being with Nagito. But like I said, I’m pretty sure he’s sleeping with someone else and I don’t wanna get involved with that, anyway, so-_ _Oh. Speak of the devil._

Hajime had been driving to his favorite drive thru that night, in hopes of avoiding the pizza parlor and whatever the conversation with Gundham and Sonia would become. Just barely over the darkness, he could make out the silhouette of Nagito and the man from the bar that one night walking in the darkness. Nagito was stumbling slightly but the other man seemed unbothered by it.  _ Is he okay? What is he even doing on this side of town? _ Hajime took a breath and pulled over. “Nagito?” He called out and the mess of fluff on Komaeda’s head bounced as he looked up quickly. 

“Hajime?” He sounded surprised. He started walking towards the car, despite the long haired man saying something in a hissed tone. Nagito’s gait was definitely under the influence of  _ something _ but Hajime had no clue what. The long haired man left without checking to see who Nagito was walking towards. Hajime rolled down a window, still unsure about letting Nagito in the car and watched him lean down to it. “Hajime?” Nagito repeated, eyes wide and cloudy. 

“Yeah, it’s me. Listen, what’s going on?” Hajime noticed the blood smeared across Nagito’s chin and neck and he unlocked the door. “Holy shit, get in the car.” 

Nagito did as he was told and fell into the passenger side. “I’m okay, Hajime. I really am.” He was shivering. 

“Um, are you okay?” Hajime knew it was a dumb question but he couldn’t really think of what else to ask. Nagito nodded numbly. “Okay, er, I’m just going to get some dinner. You’re welcome to join, ‘cause I don’t know where your friend went, but uh.... Do you have anything on you that I can get arrested for? ‘Cause I really don’t need that right now, and-”

“No, Hajime.” Nagito shook his head, staring down at his palms.  _ Has he always been this pale? He seems too pale? _

“Alright. Soo, just for conversation reasons, where’d the blood come from?” Hajime winced at his awkward tone, but he wasn’t sure how else to get Nagito to talk to him. Nagito looked confused before he brought a hand to his lips and pulled it away to see a faint mark of blood on his fingers. 

“ _ Ah _ .” He let out a small noise. “I threw it up.” He sighed, almost in annoyance. 

“ _ Again _ ?” Hajime could hear the tone in his voice but Nagito didn’t shrink away from it. “Listen, I don’t know what the fuck you’re on, but, uh… it doesn’t sound like it’s working well for you. And as a concerned friend, like, please stop.” Hajime pulled into the drive thru. 

“‘Friend?’” Nagito’s eyes sparkled. If it weren’t for his messy clothes and blood stained skin, Hajime would’ve thought he looked like an elated kid on Christmas. 

“Um, yeah. What do you want?” Hajime asked, rolling down his window. A voice came on the speaker and he ordered for himself before turning to Nagito, expectantly. Nagito blinked and then squinted at the menu before listing off enough food to feed a family.  _ Whatever floats your boat, I guess.  _ Hajime listed back his order and pulled up to the window. He reached into his pocket for his wallet but Nagito was shoving a card at him. “You sure?”

“Of course, Hajime.”

“You, like, seriously don’t have to pay every time we-”

“Hi your total will be fifty two thirty four, are you paying with card or cash?” The drive thru worker said and Hajime didn’t hesitate to hand him Nagito’s card.  _ Okay. Yeah. Maybe he can pay this time.  _ “Alright, thanks -oh shit. Nagito?” The worker leaned out the window to get a closer look in the car. Nagito waved happily. 

“Hello Rantaro!” 

“Hey dude what’s up? Sick makeup.” He gestured vaguely at the blood stains.  _ Makeup? _ Hajime thought.  _ Really? _ “Oh, sorry, see ya’.” Rantaro turned back to the inside and Hajime drove to the next window to wait for their food. 

“So, uh, who’s he?” Hajime wondered aloud.  _ Is he whoever Nagito’s sleeping with? _

“Rantaro Amami.”

“Yeah, I meant like-” Hajime was cut off by their food being handed to them. He handed the bag to Nagito in the passenger seat and started towards his apartment. “So, what’re you even doing on this side of town?”

“Kiyo wanted to get dinner together, but there was a problem so we left.”

“And wandered around an alley?” Hajime snuck a glance to where Nagito was still shivering and bouncing his leg erratically. “I’m not stupid.”

“Did I ever imply you were?” Nagito enunciated the words in a way that made Hajime feel foolish for asking. They reached Hajime’s apartment and climbed the stairs, Nagito taking a considerably long time with suspiciously poor balance. “May I come in?” Nagito asked, like that was a normal thing to do.

“No wait out here and eat in the hallway.” Hajime snorted, before recognizing the blank look on Nagito’s face and sighing.  _ Poor guy doesn’t even know sarcasm.  _ “Yeah, sure, come on it.” They got inside and Hajime flipped on the TV to make things less awkward. 

“Oh, sorry, the news is probably morbid, I’ll switch it-” He started but a “breaking news” story started playing. 

“Yet another victim has been added to the kill list of the Vampire Killer just mere moments ago.” They zoomed in on a satellite picture of the alley kitty corner of where Hajime had picked up Nagito. 

“Holy shit, we were right there.”

“Hajime? Do you have a bathroom I could use?” Nagito was staring with wide eyes at the screen like he was going to be sick. 

“Fitting the MO of the killer, the new victim was drained of all their blood and left to die in the street. Unfortunately, the mismatch of victims has made it hard for the police to track down the killer, but-” Hajime had stopped listening. He felt time slow down and he turned to face Nagito, who was doing his best to scrub the blood from his face, shaking even harder. 

“Is that your blood?” Hajime blinked. No answer. He took a step away from Nagito. “What were you doing when I picked you up?” Still no answer. “ _ Nagito what the fuck were you doing? _ ” His voice hitched, making Nagito flinch. 

“Hajime, I-”

“I should have fucking known.” Hajime finally caught his gaze and they locked eyes. “You’ve got a fucking vampire fetish or some shit, don’t you?” He watched Nagito’s shoulders fall in what was either relief or embarrassment. He looked slightly confused. “The garlic allergy, the weird bite mark, that creepy guy you hang out with. That’s why you were so secretive about who you’re sleeping with! Because it’s a weird fetish thing! You guys like, suck each other’s blood or whatever the fuck. Like, I’m not trying to, uh… shame you? I just… What the fuck?”

“Ah… hah…” Nagito let out a weak laugh, looking like he was going to collapse. 

“Is that why you wanted those vampire books? I get that it’s your thing, but… with everything going on right now, it might not be the best time to do that out in the open. Like, what if I hadn’t picked you up and police were searching the area and you had blood all over your face like a maniac? They’d think  _ you _ were the one who did it.” Hajime was speaking quickly, watching Nagito’s already pale skin grow more pallid with each word.  _ I must’ve really hit the nail on the head. Jeez. _ He rubbed his temples and looked back up. “Okay, y’know what? It’s weird, but whatever. I’ll forget about it. Let’s just eat and  _ not _ talk about vampires.” Hajime sighed and raised an eyebrow. Nagito nodded, looking relieved.  _ He’s being so quiet. I don’t ever remember him going this long without talking before. He must be really embarrassed.  _ Hajime sat down at the table and started sorting their food from the bag. Nagito followed suit. ”Um, hungry?” Hajime tried weakly, looking at the large stack of food Nagito had ordered. 

“I get so hungry every night.” He shook his head, barely taking breaths between eating and talking. 

“Um, eat more?” Hajime offered. Nagito flashed him a strange sort of grin. 

“It’s not that sort of hungry, Hajime.”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“I’m aware.” Nagito watched him with his large, clear eyes for a few moments before turning back to his food. Dinner went by slowly and awkwardly. Afterwards, Nagito asked where Hajime’s trash can was to throw away his wrappers. Hajime directed him to it and then walked back to the TV for a moment to see if there were any new updates on the victim, but they were just talking about a price change in the new iPhone, so he walked back over to Nagito. Nagito was holding a small necklace Gundham had given him that had been sitting on the kitchen counter because Hajime wasn’t sure what to do with it. 

“Oh, dude check this out.” Hajime lifted it up. “Gundham gave me this. It’s for like, ghost hunting or something I think. It’s a little much for me to wear in public, but it was a nice thought.” Hajime unscrewed the top and gestured for Nagito to hold out his arm. He did. Hajime shook the necklace over it and a droplet of the liquid inside (which Hajime had mostly assumed was decorative) spilled onto Nagito’s arm. He winced almost immediately, the liquid causing a clear burn on his arm. Hajime froze and frowned at the necklace.  _ What? That’s impossible. That’s gotta be impossible.  _ He shook some out onto himself, but felt nothing. “Did… Did you have that before?” Hajime pointed weakly to the burn. 

“No. May I ask what’s in the vial?” Nagito pressed the burn with one of his fingers, but pulled it away with a slight hiss. Hajime felt the words in his mouth, but they wouldn’t leave. His knees locked to keep his legs from giving out underneath him. 

“Holy water.”

 

* * *

 

 

**EARLIER**

 

It had been hell since Nagito had been bit. The pain of it had been bad enough, but the incessant hunger that came with it was even worse. He’d been walking home from a late night studying in the library when something knocked him out. He’d woken up to a pain in his neck and a bickering conversation above him. “Kiyo, I told you we can’t kill them. We’re just supposed to knock them out and leave.”

“It was  _ not _ my intention to kill him, it simply happened. How was I supposed to know he was already dying?”

“Hello? Nagito blinked groggily. The two men stared down at him in shock. 

“Oh my God, he’s not dead. What do we do?” The first man had a deep voice that hurt Nagito’s head less than the other man’s. He felt like he had a terrible hangover. “Do we, uh… Y’know…?” 

“Might as well.”

“Who’s blood, then?”

“Not mine. I’ve already turned my sister, I shouldn’t keep giving up blood.” The man named Kiyo sounded uninterested. The sides of Nagito’s vision were starting to get blurry and dark. He was tired. He wanted to sleep, but there was something in the back of his mind begging him not to. 

“Fine.” The other man leaned down until Nagito could clearly see him. He had green hair and a slew of piercings. The man bit into his arm until dark blood was visible against his skin and he held his arm up to Nagito’s mouth. “Here.” Nagito was too tired to fight back, he just let the metallic taste enter his mouth and almost instantly he was awake. He sat up, eyes wide and blood pumping. He hadn’t felt this alive in years. “Feel better?” The other man straightened up and offered him a hand. Nagito took it and looked around. There’d been a certain fatigue and pain in his bones for as long as he could remember and suddenly it was gone.  _  If only doctors were aware that there truly is a cure for cancer _ . He mused. “I’m Rantaro Amami, this is Korekiyo Shinguji.” The man gestured to them both. 

“Must we share our full names?” Kiyo asked with a sour look. Rantaro ignored him. 

“We’re vampires and now you are, too.”

If only Nagito had known what those words would bring. The next few weeks were spent puking and eating anything he could find in his cupboards. During the day, it wasn’t bad. He sunburned more easily and sometimes he’d notice the sound of someone’s blood pumping when he moved too closely, but they were things he could ignore. At night, everything changed. He felt like his limbs were on fire. He grew weak and irritable with an insatiable hunger that he’d given up on controlling. Rantaro didn’t drink often, said he felt guilty doing it. But he sent Kiyo out with Nagito a handful of times to try it. Nagito could never build up the courage to attack like Kiyo. He’d decided research was his best option, so he’d turned to the library. Only to find that a terrifyingly handsome stranger needed every single book on vampires for some reason. 

When Nagito finally drank with Kiyo, his disgust overwhelmed him. He’d figured that once he started needing it, blood wouldn’t taste like blood. It’d taste like Hawaiian punch or Coca Cola. But no. It still tasted very much like blood and Nagito was very much aware of the fact that he was drinking it from somebody he didn’t know. Somebody he’s randomly attacked in the street with Kiyo. Guilt and disgust were eating at every fiber of his being until is consumed him entirely. He’d accompanied Kiyo to a concert that night only to run into the stranger again. This time however, he knew his name was Hajime Hinata and he studied literature. Which was terrible because it made him cuter. Which was even worse when the dread in Nagito’s blood finally took him over and Hajime had to watch him throw it up behind the venue. 

Kiyo and Rantaro had been warning him for weeks about how whatever vampire was killing his victims would attract too much attention. The usual protocol was just knocking them out, taking some blood, and leaving. Most vampires were smart enough not to kill, knowing they’d get caught eventually. Unfortunately, whoever genuinely was doing the killing didn’t seem to mind, even when word of Kokichi Ouma, a well known vampire hunter, visiting spread around. Nagito had decided low profile was his best option.  _ Besides,  _ he thought,  _ low profile is less risky for Hajime, too. Then maybe one day we could be friends. I can at least pay him back for helping me.  _

Except low profile didn’t work because the next morning, Hajime saw Nagito’s bite mark. Nagito had been wondering how oblivious Hajime had to be not to notice Nagito tripping over himself every time they spoke but in that situation, he was indescribably thankful for it.  _ Hajime just thinks someone bit me. He doesn’t know. I’m safe.  _ If word spread to the wrong people, then Nagito could be killed easily. He was a weak vampire. He’d never even fully consumed blood and he hadn’t been strong to begin with. He’d heard the horror stories of what vampire hunters did when they managed to find one and as disgusted as he was with himself, he still didn’t want to meet that fate. 

Things died down a little the next day and there had been no sightings of Kokichi or any other vampire hunter in the area so Kiyo had invited him for a last chance at drinking blood. They’d just barely knocked out and started drinking from a random cook they’d found exiting a restaurant when Kiyo froze. “We must go.” He’d whispered in an urgent tone, running out into the alley. The disgust Nagito usually felt was back and confusion was slowing his feet, so he stumbled after him. The constant closeness to blood didn’t mix well with his hunger and he was feeling dizzy. A car parked somewhere near them, lights to bright and engine too loud. “Nagito?” He’d recognized. Kiyo left him. Nagito didn’t blame him.  _ I’m a loose end. A weak vampire. He’d be better off if I am killed alone.  _ But it was just Hajime. Safe and warm Hajime. Hajime who took him to get food and back to his house without too much questioning. Just the idea of Hajime filled Nagito with a warmth he couldn’t explain. He’d never met anyone who intrigued him as much. 

The news had been a close call, but once again, Hajime jumping to conclusions had saved them both. But Nagito had been foolish enough to pick up the necklace on Hajime’s counter.  _ I recognize this.  _ He frowned at it.  _ I’m not sure what it is, but I- _

“Oh dude, check this out.” Hajime took it from him. Too late, Nagito realized what it was. He watched the water burn his hand and the realization dawn on Hajime’s face with a sick satisfaction.  _ At least now he’ll know what I am. Maybe I deserve to be hunted for putting Hajime in danger by talking to him.  _ “Oh my God.” Hajime blinked at the holy water and then back up at Nagito. “Holy shit. You’re joking.”

“I’m not joking, Hajime.” Nagito smiled ruefully. “Now, I’m assuming you’re in contact with a vampire hunter if you have this. I understand that you have to have me killed, and I will wait patiently for that to happen, but please know that I am grateful for our brief friendship and I’m honored that you’ve hosted me in your home and-”

“I’m not gonna kill you, Jesus Christ. Calm down.” Hajime gripped Nagito’s shoulders to stop him. “Okay, listen. I’m not really sure what’s going on. I don’t know if I totally do want to know. But seriously. If my friends freak you out or whatever, I won’t tell them.”

“You’re… You’re friends with vampire hunters?” Nagito raised a thin eyebrow.  _ I’m in even more danger than I thought.  _

“Okay, that’s a really generous title. They just talked to some weird kid and think they’re hotshots now. But like, if you feel like you’re in danger, then I won’t tell them. That’s fine. But you owe me an explanation.” Hajime sat down on his couch and waited for Nagito to do the same. 

“Ah.” Nagito sat down but looked away. He took a breath.  _ He already knows. If I tell him everything, it won’t change anything. If he wanted to have me killed, he could do it, anyway. On any note, I do probably owe him an explanation.  _ “I had cancer. I was diagnosed as a child and expected to die within the next two years. It was something I was adjusted to.” Nagito was still looking away. “I was bit one night by two other vampires. Because of my health, I almost died. We usually avoid killing. So, they turned me to cure my cancer and allow me to live again, but… it has obviously come with a price.”

“This is too fucking much.” Hajime squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “Do you, uh, do you drink blood?”

“No. I should, but I can’t. I feel too guilty. It is such a terrible thing, Hajime. My life has no value and yet I retain it by stealing from others. I take and I take like a monster because that is what I am.” He took a breath and finally looked into Hajime’s eyes. 

“Your life has value, Nagito. Don’t be dramatic.” Hajime frowned, a strange comfort to Nagito, who felt his heart swell.  _ Hajime thinks I have value.  _ “But, I thought drinking someone’s blood would kill them?”

“Only if you aren’t careful. Most of the vampires I know have never killed. The one who’s been doing the murders recently is not associated with any of us, I promise you that.”

“Yeah, I don’t really see you as capable of murder.” Hajime shook his head. 

“Ah you are too kind, Hajime.”

“That’s not really a compliment.” He closed his eyes. “I should be freaking out right now. I don’t know why I’m not.” Hajime groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. “When I wake up from this whole hallucination I am going to laugh so hard.”

“It’s not a hallucination, Hajime.” Nagito shook his head and reached his hand out, pressing it to Hajime’s cheek and watching him recoil slightly at the cold. “See? You can feel me?”

“Oh.” Hajime’s hand found its way up to Nagito’s. “That’s even scarier. Wait, so if vampires exist, then what about werewolves? Or ghosts?”

“I’m not sure, I’m sorry. I tried to ask some older vampires but most of them were understandably annoyed by my constant questions.”

“How many vampires are there? I mean like, how many kids at our school?”

“There’s only four or five that I’ve ever heard of on campus, including myself. I’ve never even spoken with two of them. 

“And the other two?”

“Are friends.”

“O-oh. Okay.” Hajime stared at the ceiling. “This is a lot to take in.”

“Apologies.”

“It’s not your fault, Nagito.”  _ Yes it is.  _ Rang in the white haired man’s head. “Wait, but, you mentioned vampire hunters. Like, is that real, too?”

“Very much so. From what I’ve heard, they are not only prevalent but ruthless. Kokichi Ouma, one of the most well known-”

“Kokichi?” The blood drained from his face until he was almost as pale as Nagito. 

“You’ve heard of him? He is extremely dangerous. From what I’ve heard and researched, he’s killed dozens of vampires in terrible ways. He has no mercy or morals. Of course, he is killing monsters, which is hardly the same as killing humans-”

“Uh,  _ no _ . No, it definitely is.” Hajime shook his head. “If anyone killed you, vampire or not, that would be murder. You’re a person, not… I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m saying. All of this is so weird.”  _ I should hold off on telling Nagito about Kokichi being around if he’s this scared of him. It might just make things worse.  _ “I trust you. I believe you’re telling me the truth. It’s just a lot to handle right now, I’m sorry.”

“I’m honored that you trust me.” Nagito leaned forward. His face was genuinely grateful, like Hajime had any choice  _ but _ trusting Nagito when he looked at Hajime with puppy dog eyes like that.  _ Something tells me that this is going to be a wild ride. _ Hajime remembered the wooden spike that Kokichi had flashed during their meeting and a strange sense of anger flashed brightly inside of him.  _ Crazy or not, I’ll protect Nagito. There’s something special about him that I can’t let go to waste in this world.  _


	2. Feast Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I hope you enjoy reading and had a happy Halloween! Now we're moving onto holiday season, which is exciting!

Hajime decided his best course of action was never mentioning Nagito to his friends. Ever. And, when possible, not to bring them up to Nagito. He was about a hundred and ten percent sure that they wouldn’t be able to hurt a fly, much less Nagito, but he didn’t think it was worth stressing either party out. 

Nagito and him had started texting constantly throughout the day. It helped fill the void that the occult club had left in his social life. Before they’d started it, it had always just been the group hanging out, as friends or just to fuck around. But the moment Hajime declined the invitation to join  _ (because why the hell would I?) _ , it was as if an invisible barrier had been put between him and the others whenever they started talking about it. He’d drag himself to their meetings when Chiaki texted him about it, but he’d spend most of them more annoyed than anything else. He missed having his friends around. He missed when hanging out meant watching movies or getting lunch not practicing pentagrams on the kitchen floor. When he’d gotten Chiaki’s latest text about a new “very important” meeting, he forced himself to get dressed and go.  _ With everything going on, it might be a good idea.  _

He pulled into his spot at the pizza parlor and went in through the back door. It was pretty early in the morning, so the restaurant wasn’t even open yet. He walked through the kitchen and into the dining area, spotting his friends sitting around in a circle with Kokichi.  _ Great. This kid again.  _ Hajime didn’t necessarily think Nagito had been  _ lying _ about how dangerous Kokichi was, he definitely genuinely believed what he was saying. It was just that… Hajime was certain Kokichi was just more annoying than anything else. “Hajime! Take a seat.” Kokichi gestured at a spot in the circle between Sonia and Chiaki. He sighed and sat down. “Where was I? Huh…. Oh yeah! I’m gonna tell you guys how to  _ kill _ a vampire. We’ll get the big dogs out of the way first.” Kokichi reached behind himself for a bag and sat it down in the middle of the circle. 

“Wait, why are we  _ killing _ them? Can’t we just, I dunno, like, incapacitate them or something?”

“What’s less likely to kill you: a dead vampire or one with one leg?” Kokichi seemed annoyed at being interrupted. Hajime didn’t respond, just frowned. “Alright, there’s a few ways that you can kill a vampire. Uno, a stake.” Kokichi reached into the bag and pulled out a wooden stake.  _ I know Nagito said he’s legit, but… really? It looks like he watched a Scooby Doo episode  and got creative with some spare lumber, I don’t get how this guy is supposed to be so scary.  _ “But this is kind of primitive and we’re not heathens so  _ je vous presente _ ….” He dug through the bag and pulled out a strange looking knife. “It’s a knife made from petrified wood. Works the same way, just cleaner. Speaking of clean,  _ don’t _ ever ingest any vampire blood or we’ll have to kill you, too. It’s like zombies or whatever. ‘Cause killing vampires is like, the same as killing dead hunks of flesh, right Hajime?” Kokichi’s gaze fell on him. 

“Er… why me?” Hajime didn’t like that he’d been singled out.  _ There’s no way he could know anything, he’s just being a dick, but it still… it still sends shivers down my spine.  _ Hajime glared at Kokichi. 

“Oh, y’know. ‘Cause.” Kokichi’s face had a strange expression like he’d just solved a sudoku puzzle. “Doesn’t matter. Next best way is holy water. They hate this stuff and I’ve got  _ lots _ of it. You just sort of pour it all over them and then it burns ‘em really bad. It’s not usually enough to kill but it definitely maims and makes your job easier. It’s also nice, ‘cause unlike a knife, it can’t hurt you, so you don’t need very much coordination for it. Even idiots can use holy water, which is great for all of you!” Kokichi pulled a few more things from his bag. “Garlic makes them pass out and if they’re around it too long, they get sick. Luckily, this is a pizza place so I’m assuming you have that.” Kokichi looked over to Gundham who nodded excitedly.  _ Oh great, we’ll kill them with hives.  _ Hajime wasn’t sure how any of his friends were taking this seriously. “And then the worst way to do it is starvation. They eat human food but they can still only go so long before they need to drink blood and if you find a way to stop that process then you can let them die that way. But it’s too much work most of the time. Kill vamps is a job not a hobby, don’t get too lost in it.” He picked up the knife and twirled it around his fingers a few times. 

“So the latest victim on the news-” Chiaki started.

“Definitely a vampire.” Kokichi yawned. “Clear cut as hell. No blood, sketchy. Sounds vampiric to me.”

“How do we find these vampires?” Sonia looked through the items Kokichi had laid out on the floor. Kokichi took a deep breath. 

“I’ve been tracking some down. I’m aware of three.” He was speaking slower than usual and Hajime could feel his heart catch. Dangerous or not, if Kokichi was sending people after Nagito or his friends, Hajime knew he had to do something. “ _ But _ they’re all a city or two over. So I’m betting the vampire doing all of this is showing up to kill people on someone else’s turf and then bouncing back to wherever.” It took uncountable layers of self control not to audibly sigh in relief on Hajime’s part.  _ If they’re the next city over then it’s not Nagito or his friends. They’re fine.  _

“If a vampire consumes you but you do not ingest any of it, what becomes of you?” Gundham’s voice was darkly curious. Kokichi raised an eyebrow. 

“Nothing. If they don’t kill you, that is. But vampires almost always kill.” Kokichi shrugged.  _ That’s not true. Nagito said they  _ never _ kill. Is this just another one of Kokichi’s lies? _ Hajime watched Ibuki stick her hand in the jug of holy water. 

“Doesn’t burn Ibuki.” She said in wonder. 

“You’re not a vampire, then.” Chiaki laughed lightly. 

 

* * *

 

Hajime drove back to campus for class and went through the rest of his day fairly peacefully. At least until that night, when he got a frantic call from Nagito. Nagito was talking quickly and out of breath, voice rushing over syllables until Hajime couldn’t fully understand him. “Woah, slow down. What’s going on?” Hajime started to pack up his things from where he’d been studying.  _ I was done, anyway.  _

“I didn’t know her,” There was something unintelligible. “She’s dead-” A chill ran down Hajime’s spine. 

“Nagito, stop for a second. Someone’s dead?” His blood ran cold. “I thought you said you guys didn’t kill people?” He looked around to make sure no one was listening in and ducked into a quiet study room.  _ Am I an accomplice to murder right now? Does Nagito even have it in him to kill someone in cold blood? _ A worried little part of Hajime’s brain was singing  _ maybe _ . 

“N-no. I didn’t kill her.  _ We _ didn’t kill her. It was Kokichi Ouma.”

“Kokichi killed someone?”

“Forgive my poor memory Hajime, but haven’t I already told you who he is?”

“Well yeah, but…”  _ I didn’t think you were really that serious. I didn’t think  _ he  _ was that serious.  _ “He killed another vampire, then?”

“Yes. Kirumi Tojo, she’s from the next city over. She was supposedly very powerful I don’t know how he managed to-”

“Are you safe?” The question hung in the air, a terrible silence following it. “Nagito, are you safe?”

“I’m not sure, Hajime.” His voice was filled with a mirthless humor that made Hajime’s blood run cold.  _ Why are you worried about him? He’s a crazy vampire, he can protect himself. Probably. Hopefully.  _

“You’re  _ sure _ it was Kokichi? And you’re sure this woman is dead?”

“Yes, Hajime. One of my friends saw her body with his own eyes. Kokichi’s the only vampire hunter skilled enough to have killed her. Most likely, he won’t waste his time on a vampire as weak as me next, but if he happened to run into me while he’s in the area, I can count on a painful death. Perhaps I deserve it.”

“What the fuck? No. No one deserves a painful death.”

“I wish that were true, Hajime.”

“Where are you right now?” Hajime started to leave the library, throwing his bag over his shoulder and walking towards the exit. “Your apartment?” He asked again and got a confirmation noise from Nagito. “You sound really worked up and honestly, I’m kinda worried. I’m gonna come over, okay?” 

“It’s really not-” Nagito started to say but Hajime hung up on him. He walked back to his apartment and got in his car, driving to the other side of the city and then eventually to Nagito’s apartment. He walked up the stairs and knocked on the door, waiting for a response. Nagito pulled the door open slightly, undid the chain, and then pulled it completely open. “Ah, Hajime, are you well?”

“Well you just told me some girl is dead and you’re in danger, so no. But other than that, fine.” Hajime stepped inside and closed the door behind him. 

“I really didn’t intend to worry you.” Nagito bit his lip, looking away like it was something to be guilty about. “I simply panicked. Most of my friends are hiding tonight or settling in another city for a little while but I have nowhere else to go. If Kokichi or any other vampire hunter finds me tonight-”

“‘Any other vampire hunter?’” Hajime frowned.

“There’s rumors he is recruiting helpers across the city for himself.”

“O-oh. Okay.” Hajime blinked, taking a deep breath.  _ My best friends are hunting Nagito? What the fuck? How did I ever end up in this situation? _ He swallowed and looked back up at the taller man. “Vampires wouldn't…  _ hurt _ a vampire hunter, though, right? Like, just one of Kokichi’s helpers?”

“Most likely not. We’re typically more focused on evading than attacking.” Nagito frowned. “Why do you ask?”

“Um, thinking. But wait, Nagito. There are other places you can go if you’re nervous about staying in your house tonight. I told you my friends are into all this stuff, right?” Hajime waited for Nagito’s nod to continue. “So the last place Kokichi would ever think to look would be my apartment. You can come over if you’re worried.”

“I shouldn’t be a burden.”

“You’re really not.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.” Hajime met Nagito’s gaze and held it until the other man nodded slowly. “Uh,  just pack some stuff, I guess. I can wait here.” Hajime sat on the couch in an effort to make Nagito start getting his things together. 

“Alright.” Nagito walked off to his room. Hajime looked down in front of him at the coffee table where a few books were spread out with notebooks around them, notes taken in messy yet strangely articulate handwriting. He picked up the closest book and stared at the page before him.  _ Feast Day at the Hospice Trivulzio in Milan by Angelo Morbelli _ read the title on the opposite page. It was a painting of a large, brown room, lined with long tables for eating or praying. A handful of visibly sick or elderly people were scattered across the seats, all of them alone and sharing the same depressed expression. Hajime frowned at the painting. It was possible to see rain falling through the windows of the room, yet the opposite wall was illuminated by some sort of window shaped light. Hajime set the book down and glanced to Nagito’s notes.

_ Not yet using divisionism, broad brushstrokes on windows  _ started his notes, followed by a few sections of artistic jargon that Hajime didn’t care to attempt at pretending he understood nor cared about.  _ Creates feeling of solitude. They have nowhere to be and nowhere to go. They are sick and alone.  _ Hajime suddenly felt like he was intruding on something as he read, so he put the notebook down and glanced back towards Nagito’s room.  _ Is this how he feels? Or how he felt?  _ Hajime tried to shake the feeling that was true as Nagito reemerged with his backpack. “I’m sorry for the wait, Hajime.” He apologized. Before Hajime could tell him it hadn’t been a problem, he glanced down at the open book. “Ah.  _ Feast Day.  _ It’s a beautiful painting, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s just…” Hajime searched for the words in his head while Nagito watched him with a curious expression. “It just makes you feel sort of sad though, doesn’t it?” As the words left his mouth, Nagito perked up. 

“Yes. Precisely.” He took a step closer to Hajime. “Morbelli loved this hospice. His paintings tell the stories of those who lived there when they had no one else to do so for them. It’s beautiful. In fact, I think that’s the only nice thing that can be found in loneliness. Morbelli painted the loneliest and sickest people he found because there’s an undeniable sense of beauty in that sadness, isn’t there?” Nagito’s eyes were bright as he stared down at the page. He wet his lips and shrugged. “I didn’t mean to go off on a tangent. I just think it is a rather hope filled thing to realize.” He glanced back up to meet Hajime’s eyes. “Are you ready, Hajime?”

“Er, yeah. Sorry. Let’s go.” Hajime started towards the door and led Nagito out to his car, his mind still doing its best to process the words the white haired man had thrown at him. They drove to his apartment and up the stairs. Hajime locked the door behind them, making a show of it for Nagito to see that they were safe. “Er, so I have the couch. I can sleep there and you can take the bed, if you want. I mean, you’re the guest and all that.” Hajime gestured towards his room for Nagito, but Nagito shook his head profusely. 

“You’re already doing me such a large favor, I can’t ask you to sleep on a couch for me.” He said, as if it was some sort of mortal sin. Hajime frowned. 

“Erm. Okay. I guess we have time before we go to bed, anyway. Uh, at least I do. Are you hungry? I don’t really have anything besides, like, mac n cheese and waffles.” Hajime walked to his kitchen and checked the waffles. “Actually, they’re uh, freezer burnt. So I don’t really have anything. I’m sorry, I forgot to go grocery shopping yesterday and I normally eat out, so…” He trailed off, not knowing where his sentence was leading. 

“It’s no bother, Hajime! I’m dreadful at cooking, otherwise I would offer to cook you something. However, I’m assuming you’d like your kitchen to stay intact, so I won’t attempt to make anything.”

“Er, yeah. Please don’t.” Hajime frowned. “Are you even hungry?”

Nagito blinked with wide eyes. He looked away and there was a moment of awkward silence.

“I mean, besides blood.”

“Then no. Thank you for clearing that up!”

“No problem.” Hajime closed his freezer door.  _ What the hell am I doing? I’m letting some guy who thinks he’s a vampire -and is probably a vampire- spend the night? And my friends wanna stick a kebab stick through his heart or whatever? Jesus.  _ Hajime put a hand to his head and walked back into the main living area. “Why don’t you guys suck each others’ blood? Or does vampire blood not work?”

“You’re so intuitive, Hajime!” Nagito clasped his hands together. “Unfortunately it does nothing once we’ve already been turned into a vampire. 

“Why don’t you just go suck some random dude then?” Hajime frowned. 

“That would be rather forward of me. And potentially unsafe.” Nagito put a hand to his mouth like he was thinking. It took Hajime a moment to figure out what he was alluding to but when he did, he turned a bright red. 

“ _ No _ ! Fuck, I didn’t mean like…  _ that _ . Obviously. I meant blood. I know you said you feel guilty or whatever, but if you’re not killing them, then what’s the issue?” Hajime was trying to cool down his face discreetly after that interaction. Nagito seemed annoyingly unbothered by it, simply looking down at his feet with a deep sigh. 

“I don’t believe anyone would allow me to do such a thing on their own volition. Obviously I can’t tell them  _ why _ I have to drink their blood and I think even if I did, it would not be a very convincing story. Fortunately, Hajime was very trusting with me, but I don’t think most people would be. You’re special.”  _ No. I’m a sucker for a pretty face, let’s not confuse the two.  _

“Okay, if someone told me that they would die without drinking my blood and they knew for sure, _for sure_ , it wouldn’t kill me, then I’d say yes. I think most people would. It’s a pretty small sacrifice to make for someone else. It’s basically the same as donating blood. At least, I think.” Hajime frowned. “Maybe I’m wrong. Can you even die from not drinking enough blood?” He almost slipped up and mentioned Kokichi’s comment about it earlier, but stopped himself just in time. Nagito nodded gravely. 

“Ah yes, especially when you first become a vampire.”

“Like you?”

“I suppose so.” Nagito looked confused, as if that wasn’t important. 

“So, have you drunk since the last time we talked about this?” Hajime wanted to grab his shoulders and shake him until he understood that he needs to work at staying alive. Nagito shook his head. “Okay then when are you going to?”

“I have a few weeks left until I start to waste away. It’s not much of a loss since I was most likely going to die this year, anyway. However, I’m honored to have been your friend for this time. And I’m very thankful to my art history professors, as I’ve enjoyed studying it the past two years-”

“ _ You’re just gonna die? _ ” Hajime almost yelped. “That is  _ not _ okay, Nagito. I get it’s a hassle or you feel guilty, but Jesus, it’s your life. You’ve gotta survive.”

“For what?” Nagito’s voice was suddenly cold, his eyes half lidded and stonier than normal. “To be killed by someone else? To spend an eternity alone? I had nothing to live for before I was bitten and I have even less to live for now, with only one plausible end in sight.”

“What about me?”

“I appreciate the sentiment, Hajime, but I’ve never been very close with my friends. I hope you understand.” His voice was still steely. 

“Have you ever given them the chance?” The question hung in there long enough for Hajime to gather the answer he needed from it. He sighed, trying to put his thoughts together. “I’d like to get close to you, Nagito. I’m sure there are lots of people who would.”

“For what point? We’ve established I’m dying soon.”

“But you don’t have to.” The words left Hajime’s mouth slowly and carefully. Nagito frowned, eyes narrowed. 

“What are you trying to say?” Nagito raised an eyebrow. Hajime could feel the rational section of his brain panicking at what he was trying to find the words to say. He ignored it and took a breath before looking Nagito squarely in the eyes. He’d never noticed the slight red glint in them, before. 

“You said it wouldn’t kill me. Drinking my blood. I’m telling you it’s okay, so you don’t have to feel bad, I just-”

“Why would you do that for me?” Nagito took a step back, a strange sort of panic clear on his face. “What are you trying to gain?”

“Nothing? I just don’t want you to, y’know,  _ die _ .” Hajime wondered how it could be such a foreign concept to Nagito that Hajime would be willing to undergo a very slight sacrifice to keep him alive. They weren’t even necessarily close yet, Nagito was just someone different. Special. Unique.  _ Whatever it doesn’t matter. I don’t think it’s that crazy that I don’t want my friend to die. Like, is that seriously that weird? If he won’t go out and drink himself then I’ll help him, it’s not a big deal.  _ “You’ve gotta be able to understand that, at least a little. Seriously.”

“You would trust me enough for that?” Nagito still sounded unsure. Hajime nodded, doing his best to sound reassuring. Nagito approached him until they were almost touching, an expression hajime had never seen on him adorning his face. “It hurts.” He said, as if that was some sort of challenge. Hajime just shrugged.  _ Can’t be worse than a shot, right? It’s like, basically, the same thing.  _ Nagito put a startingly cold hand on his neck and pushed the neck of his sweatshirt aside just enough to expose the skin there. “You’re sure, Hajime? I haven’t guilted you into-”

“Nagito.” Hajime rolled his eyes. “You’ve been talking me out of it this whole time.”

“Ah.” Nagito hummed. He sent one last nervous glance at Hajime that sent a strange chill down his spine.  _ I’ve never seen Nagito look at me like he’s hungry before. It’s not that it’s unsettling, I know he won’t hurt me, it’s just kinda- _ Hajime stopped his thought process cold.  _ Oh my God, I was gonna say “hot.” Jesus Christ.  _ “Would you like me to get a towel?” Nagito offered. 

“How messy are you planning on being?” Hajime laughed. Nagito gave a  _ not very _ look. “I should probably sit down, though. I always get dizzy when they take my blood at the doctor’s.” He sat down on the couch and waited for Nagito to take a seat next to him. Once again, Nagito smoothed back Hajime’s sweatshirt to expose his bareskin. Between Nagito’s deathly cold hands and the chill of the air, Hajime had to hold in a shiver. He was fairly sure if Nagito thought he was frightened that he’d stop.  _ But I’m really not scared, which is actually a scarier thought. I’m about to have my blood sucked by a vampire and I don’t even feel nervous. There’s definitely something wrong with me.  _ There was a brief moment where Hajime just felt the softness of Nagito lips and then suddenly a sharp pain in the side of his neck, like a bee sting. He held in his wince and closed his eyes. He felt some of Nagito’s wild hair tickle the side of his face and without warning, Nagito’s tongue on his neck.  _ Okay. That is a feeling. That is happening. Right now.  _ He sucked in a breath. 

“Sorry.” Nagito mumbled. Hajime was about to tell him it was fine, he just got startled, until he realized that was decidedly not what Nagito was apologizing for and felt the taller man climb over him, straddling his waist for a better angle. Hajime was pretty sure some sort of tornado siren went off in his head.  _ I should not be turned on by this. I should not be turned on by this. What the fuck am I doing? Better question, what the absolute  _ fuck _ is wrong with me? When did I get into Nagito? When did I get into  _ this? Despite the coldness of Nagito’s skin, he wasn’t uncomfortable. If anything, Hajime felt like his own skin was heating up as a reaction.  _ If someone told me a month ago that I’d be sitting in my living room letting some guy suck my blood, I’d think they were crazy… Actually nevermind. I’d probably just think they were Gundham. Can Nagito tell I’m panicking right now? _

Nagito wasn’t really aware of anything in that moment besides the blood. From the second his fangs had sunk into Hajime’s neck, a comforting haze had absorbed his mind.  _ I’ve never had the chance to  _ enjoy _ blood before. It’s always been taken with a sense of guilt or disgust and when it’s not, I… _ It was like hot chocolate in the dead of winter and an iced drink in the middle of summer simultaneously. Just like the first time he’d drunk Rantaro’s blood, he could feel every little ache and pain in his body melt away into nothingness.  _ I have to stop.  _ His body didn’t want him to.  _ I have to stop. I can’t take too much blood from Hajime. I’m ungrateful enough taking any at all.  _ With a heavy sense of reluctance, Nagito pulled away from Hajime’s neck. He stared at Hajime for a moment.  _ He looks slightly dizzy. Or is that nervous? I’m not sure. Either way, I shouldn’t have taken so much of his blood. I’m sure he’s upset with me.  _ But Nagito didn’t have the room in his brain at that moment to dwell too much on how he’d apologize to Hajime, so he simply wiped his mouth and leaned into him. The warmth in his body was one he hadn’t felt since he’d been turned into a vampire and it was making him drowsy. His eyes were heavy and the world felt tangible for the first time in a long while. “Night Hajime.” He mumbled before the world went dark. 

Hajime panicked.  _ What the hell? Is he supposed to fall asleep like that? Do I have like, arsenic blood or something? Is he okay? _ Hajime shifted slightly to let the sleeping boy lie on his side rather than propped up at a strange angle against him. He almost instantly missed the comfort of having someone so close but he shrugged it off. There was a sound from somewhere else in the house. Hajime looked around, staying as quiet as possible, but he heard nothing else. He pulled a blanket over Nagito and then crept to his room. One of his windows was open, a slight breeze making the pencil cup on his bedside table rattle slightly with each strong gust. He sighed and shut the window, glancing outside for a moment before he did. Wen he walked back to the living room, Nagito was still sleeping on the couch, long pale eyelashes casting soft shadows on his angular face. 

 

* * *

 

After dozens of apologies the next morning, Nagito went home. Despite the guilt he felt at drinking from Hajime and crashing at his apartment, the rejuvenated feeling that was running through his blood prevented him from feeling too badly. His phone rang as he was tidying the next night and he picked it up. “Hello?”

“Hey, Ko. It’s me. Listen, I’m outside, can I come in?” Rantaro’s voice managed to sound even deeper than normal over the phone. Nagito walked to the door, checked the peephole and let Rantaro in when he saw it was him. “I talked to Kiyo last night. I thought we should set up some… er, boundaries.”

“Boundaries?” Nagito’s voice had just the slightest hint of interest in it. He was going through his fridge for anything to set out. His parents may have been dead for awhile but their insistence on manners and perfect hospitality hadn’t. 

“Uh, Kiyo broke into a guy’s house last night. With all the Kokichi stuff going on, it’s best if we stick to less public methods for awhile, I guess. But he said you were already there.”

“I was?” Nagito raised an eyebrow. He frowned, thinking for a moment. “Well unless Korekiyo broke into my friend’s apartment, then he must be mistaken. And if he had, I’m sure I would have noticed.” Nagito couldn’t find food, so he settled on just getting Rantaro a drink. 

“Thanks,” Rantaro took a sip. “Yeah, he was gonna warn you. See every time you’ve gone out to drink, you’ve been with one of us, so it wasn’t a big deal. But uh, some people pass out. Especially when they’re new vampires. And according to Kiyo, it looks like you did. Which, isn’t a big deal, I just thought I should warn you for the future.”

“Ah. I’m grateful. What were the ‘boundaries’ you wanted to discuss?” Nagito offered Rantaro a seat before he sat down himself. 

“Listen, your personal business is your personal business. You don’t have to tell us if you’re seeing someone, I just thought I’d make it clear that we can…  _ avoid _ that apartment if you want.” Rantaro finished off his drink in one swallow. Nagito met his gaze. 

“You’re saying I can request that neither of you drink from Hajime?”

“Yeah. Everyone’s got a few people they don’t want turning into Capri-Suns. I forget you’re a newer vampire sometimes so I thought I’d let you know.” Rantaro was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Is that him?” He raised a pierced eyebrow. 

“I’m not sure.” Nagito frowned. He stood up to check and Rantaro followed him, big brother instincts kicking in. Nagito looked through the peephole and then back to Rantaro. “I don’t know who he is.” He whispered. Rantaro made a motion to let him in. Nagito opened the door just a bit. “Hello?”

“Er, h-hi.” The man standing behind the door was much shorter than Nagito, his dark hair falling in his eyes. “My name’s Shuichi Saihara, may I come in?” He walked inside and spotted Rantaro, a brief moment of fear crossing his eyes before it disappeared just as fast. “Are you both vampires?” He asked, a slight tremor in his voice. 

“Yes.” Nagito nodded.

“Why does it matter?” Rantaro frowned at the same time. He looked at Nagito before sighing and turning back to Shuichi. “I guess if you’re a hunter you don’t look very dangerous.” He shrugged. Shuichi shook his head vigorously. 

“No! I’m a vampire, too, see?” He pulled the collar of his striped shirt aside to reveal a bite mark similar to the one Rantaro had left on Nagito. “Kirumi Tojo turned me a month ago, but she… It was terrible. What happened to her? Who would do that?”

“Kirumi never told you?” Rantaro looked surprised. Nagito grabbed a drink for Shuichi, too.  _ I really should have cleaned better. I had no idea I was going to have company.  _ He thought bitterly. Rantaro took a seat on Nagito’s couch, living room for Shuichi. Nagito sat in the chair across from them. “There are people who hunt vampires. The one who killed Kirumi is named Kokichi Ouma, he’s probably the most dangerous vampire hunter in our area. He finds out a vampire’s entire schedule, who they talk to, what they eat. Everything about them until he can find a weakness and then he kills.” As Rantaro spoke, Shuichi grew even paler. 

“I talked to Kirumi, does he knew who I am? What does he look like?” Shuichi’s voice was high to begin with, but combined with the fear in it, his voice was rising even farther. Rantaro sucked in a breath, glancing at Nagito as he spoke.

“We, er, we don’t know what he looks like exactly.”

“We don’t?” Nagito frowned.  _ I had always assumed they’d seen him before and I simply didn’t know because I was new. How am I supposed to know if I ever come across Kokichi? _

“No. Most of us who  _ do _ find out what he looks like don’t really, uh… live long enough to tell everyone else about it.” Rantaro scratched the back of his neck. “But it doesn’t matter. Staying on guard against everyone is important, anyway. Shuichi, if Kirumi’s not around to look out for you then you can join me and Nagito.”

“That’s very generous, thank you.” Shuichi nodded, picking at the black polish on his nails. 

“How did you find my apartment?” Nagito asked. Shuichi laughed, slightly awkwardly. 

“Er, I did some research on the area. I’m in school to do behavior analysis so I thought finding other vampires might be a good idea but then I, uh… I found Kirumi and I thought I should connect with other people so that the same thing doesn’t happen to me or them.” Shuichi’s voice was quiet. 

“Behavior analysis? For the government?” Nagito tilted his head in interest. Shuichi nodded. “Won’t that be difficult if you’re a vampire? Although I suppose the government may give you a free pass to drink blood if you’re helping them.” Nagito frowned in thought. “Won’t they notice you don’t age?” 

“We age, Nagito.” Rantaro coughed.

“We do?” 

“Just… very slowly. Like, you’ll probably live twice or three times as long as any humans you know. But, uh, we don’t just live forever. That’s kind of OP.” Rantaro shook his head.  _ “Twice or three times as long as any humans you know.” Hm. What about Hajime? I can’t imagine outliving him. Assuredly, I won’t because I can’t imagine that anyone else would let me drink their blood. He is so generous. It is strange to realize that for the first time in my life, I am not the temporary one. I’ve never had the liberty to think I would live longer than those around me because of my cancer.  _ Nagito didn’t have time to dwell too long on his thoughts because Shuichi spoke up again. 

“If we don’t know what Kokichi looks like, then how are we supposed to know if we’ve met him? He could be anyone. It’s even possible that he is a vampire working as a sort of double agent.”

“Oh jeez, like a detective show?” Rantaro ran a hand through his hair. “Honestly, I doubt it. He’s probably just some guy, same as us. But you’re right, there’s no way of really knowing until he kills you. So you’ve just got to be really careful about who you get close to. Make sure none of the humans you know could possibly be affiliated with him or whatever.”

 

* * *

 

 

On the other side of town, Hajime was shrugging on his coat to go meet Kokichi and the rest of the group at the pizza parlor. When he arrived, he found his friends squashed into a booth together, Kokichi sitting somewhere in the middle of them. He sighed and took his own seat, pulling up a chair so he wouldn’t have to sit like a sardine.  _ Is he going to talk about the girl he supposedly killed? The one that scared Nagito so much? _

“Have there been recent additions to your knowledge of vampiric whereabouts?” Gundham asked. Kokichi took a deep breath. 

“Yes. I found a vampire who I had reasonable suspicion to believe was the one behind the murder spree, however after slaying her I realized that her suspicious activity was linked to something else.”

“So you killed a woman for no reason?” Hajime couldn’t hold in his horror.  _ I honestly didn’t think Nagito knew the whole truth. I figured Kokichi called the cops or the woman died and he was paranoid, not… Holy shit, holy shit. My friends are hanging out with a fucking murderer?  _ Kokichi’s eyes flashed with some sort of anger before he looked at Hajime with a patronizing look. 

“I killed a  _ creature _ who kills  _ people _ to survive. She’s not a woman. She’s not a human. I did something I had to do to save countless people from being turned into news stories. I think you’re forgetting what a vampire is, Hajime.” Kokichi’s voice was cold. Every word that left his mouth seemed to piss off Hajime more than the last. He stood up from his chair, but Kokichi didn’t rise to meet him. 

“They _talk_ like us, _look_ like us, _act_ like us. They used to be the same as you or me, Kokichi. I think you’re the one forgetting what a vampire is. You _kill_ _people_.”

‘“How would you know what they look like? Have  _ you _ seen a vampire, Hajime?” Kokichi tilted his head, feigning a curiosity that sent a cold feeling through Hajime’s blood. Hajime was seething. 

“Don’t play your fucking mind games with me, Kokichi. Everyone fucking knows what a vampire looks like, I’m not three years old.”

“But you sound so convinced that they’re innocent. Is something about this topic that’s, hm, I dunno… personally sensitive to you?” Kokichi finally did rise from his spot in the booth. Because of his height, he still wasn’t anywhere near eye level with Hajime but something about the sudden movement startled Hajime. Kokichi’s words felt like a cold, steely hand gripping his heart.  _ Did he just say he knows about Nagito? There’s no way. He couldn’t.  _ Chiaki noticed the change in Hajime’s demeanor and she rushed to say something. 

“Kokichi, obviously we respect you, but maybe Hajime has a point? It’s hard to hurt things that look and act the same as you do.” She said, voice rising slightly. Ibuki nodded along to what she was saying. 

“They look the same as us for a reason, Chiaki.” Kokichi’s voice was suddenly calmer, patient. “They want to manipulate people. If we see them as equals, then we feel pity for them. We can care for them and their suffering. We can  _ love _ them. I’ve even heard that  _ sooome _ people want vampires to suck more than their blood.” He shot a dirty look at Hajime.  _ That’s the last straw.  _ He grabbed Kokichi by the collar. 

“We’re gonna have a talk outside.” 

“Wait, Hajime-” Sonia started, but he was already dragging Kokichi to the kitchen. If being pulled by the collar of his shirt was uncomfortable, Kokichi didn’t show it. If anything, he looked like he was gloating. When they were inside the kitchen with the door closed -Hajime double checked- he shoved Kokichi into the wall, letting go of him. 

“How much do you know?”

“What?” Kokichi grimaced, rubbing the red mark his sweater had left on his neck. He seemed genuinely confused. A moment passed and Hajime’s expression turned into one of pure regret and something much darker crossed Kokichi’s face. “Oh my God.” A small giggle slipped from his lips. “Oh my fucking God! This- This is  _ too good _ !” He was full on cackling, clutching his stomach like he’d fall over if he didn’t. “You’re such a fucking idiot, I love it!” 

“Can you be fucking normal for two seconds? This is important.” Hajime wasn’t a man with a lot of patience for people like Kokichi and today he was crossing that line more than ever. With those words, Kokichi went stone faced. 

“You don’t have to be so nervous, Hajime.” His voice was even and flat, somehow less expressive than Hajime had ever heard it before. “Unless your little vampire friends gets in my way, they’ve got nothing to worry about. Thanks for letting me know they exist, though. I was just saying that shit to get a reaction out of you.” Kokichi was inspecting his fingernails with a bored expression. He glanced back up at Hajime. “I wasn’t kidding though.”

“What?” Hajime felt like he’d had his brain shoved in a blender.

“You’re a fucking idiot. Don’t let people play you like I just did. If you wanna keep this vampire safe then don’t act like a dumbass every time someone says the word vampire. Everyone has people they’re trying to protect. That’s the only reason people do anything that isn’t for themselves. But you can’t let people like me know about it, ‘kay?” 

“Kokichi, I swear to God I’ll kill you if you hurt him.”

“I know.” Kokichi shrugged. “I already told you, though. I don’t plan on killing whoever he is. You wouldn’t understand what I’m trying to do, so I won’t explain it. But unless he gets in the way of me or the people I work for’s plan, then he’s safe. I promise.”

“Your promise doesn’t mean much.” Hajime grimaced. Kokichi smiled. “But why wouldn’t you kill him? You hate vampires. That’s kind of your whole deal.”

“Really?” Kokichi’s face looked as unimpressed as Hajime thought he could manage. “I have no problem with vampires, Hajime. I give all these speeches about how terrible they are to convince idiots like your friends that they’re monsters so they do my work for me. Vampires just happen to be what I’m paid to kill. I don’t give a fuck about them in my personal life. Not everyone’s gotta vampire fetish.” He grinned. Hajime held back on punching him in the face.  _ He’s the most punchable person I’ve ever met in my life.  _

“Why’d you tell me all this? I can go out there and tell my friends everything you just said.”

“You think they’d believe you?” Kokichi raised an eyebrow. He yawned, stretching his arms. “It’s called self disclosure, Hajime. Take a psych class, sometime. Might help you at not being an idiot or whatever.” Kokichi checked his phone. “Oh shit, gotta go. Tell your friends I say bye. Oh, and word of advice: tell them we talked everything out. They’ll sleep better at night thinking we all get along.” Kokichi winked, shoved his phone back in his pocket, and walked out through the back entrance without another word. A cold feeling washed over Hajime.  _ I know he said he won’t hurt Nagito, but… everything he says is a lie. How am I supposed to believe him? But I guess I didn’t give him much information. At all. There’s no way he could track down Nagito just from that.  _ Hajime clenched and unclenched his fists until he’d calmed down and walked back out to his friends. They were playing some sort of game with the salt shakers on the table. He sat back down. 

“Where’s Kokichi?” Chiaki asked, peeking behind Hajime like he might be hiding there. 

“Did you kill him?” Ibuki’s eyes went wide. 

“Um. No.” Hajime frowned. “We talked things out, but he had something he had to leave for. He told me to tell you guys.” 

“Hm.” Sonia frowned. “You two were very upset.” 

“Er, yeah. But I think we’ve worked out our issues. Maybe. We’ll see I guess.” Hajime played with the napkin on the table to give his hands something to do.  _ Unlike like  _ some people  _  my personality isn’t based on lying so doing it to my friends is kind of fucking awkward.  _

 

* * *

 

A few days later, Hajime and Nagito met for dinner. Since his conversation with Kokichi, a strange sense of protectiveness had been brewing in Hajime.  _ I won’t let Kokichi or any other person out there hurt Nagito. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t hurt a fly, vampire or not, but they’re acting like he’s some kind of monster for it. I’m not okay with that.  _ On Komaeda’s side of the table, a different feeling had been settling in him.  _ I am grateful to have someone like Hajime that I can trust with these things. I’m not sure I would be safe with anyone else.  _

“What are you reading in class right now?” Nagito asked idly as he looked through the menu. 

“Victor Hugo. I really should’ve just gone British lit. French literature isn’t really my thing. There’s too many tangents in  _ Les Mis _ , I feel like I’m going crazy while I read it.” He laughed. Nagito grinned.

“It’s better in French.” He set his menu down and looked at Hajime. “We study French at almost all times in my classes. I’m lucky I never get tired of it. My concentration is in impressionism, so I feel like sometimes that’s all I see. But it’s good. It’s really all I suppose I want to see, anyway.” Nagito frowned in thought. “Ah, wait- I guess I wrote about a Swiss painter fairly recently. But that’s still pretty French.”

A waiter came to take their order. “What’d you write about?” Hajime asked after they left. Nagito perked up.

“I shouldn’t go off on a tangent-”

“You’re fine, it’s nice hearing you talk.” Hajime shook his head.  _ I’m not lying. It really is cute seeing how excited he gets over paintings.  _ Nagito clapped his hands together quietly. 

“There was this painter, Félix Vallotton. He wrote a letter about marrying his wife and it’s pretty well known.” Nagito dug through his book bag for his phone, searching for something and then turning his phone around to show Hajime a picture. A family was playing cards in the corner of a room, warm colors illuminating them and the game. “That’s his wife.” Nagito pointed to the only woman at the table, whose back was turned to the viewer. “She was a wealthy woman who collected art. He used to write about how much he loved and respected her. But because of her family, they started to grow apart. That’s why there’s this table here.” Nagito pointed to the large table that took up most of the painting and seperated the viewer from the family. “It’s the blockade that is stopping them from being able to be together. It’s such a great example of visual allegories, I just-” Nagito cut himself off, an excited look in his eyes. “It’s a beautiful thing.” 

“What’s the painting called?”

“ _ Le Poker.” _ Nagito smiled at it before turning his phone off.  _ A wealthy art collector that he can’t be with for reasons neither of them can control. What a familiar story.  _ Hajime’s mind was almost bitter at the thought, but he reeled it back in.  _ Wait. Did I just said “can’t be with?” Is that me trying to tell myself I really want to be with Nagito? _ He looked up over the table to where Nagito was inspecting the decorative flower on the table in front of them with wide, innocent eyes. Hajime’s heart caught in his throat.  _ Okay. Yeah. Maybe it is.  _

“Hey, Nagito?” He started before he could stop himself. 

“Mhm?” 

“Um, so we, uh, hang out a lot.” Hajime scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, unsure of how to phrase what he wanted to ask. Nagito nodded, looking thoroughly lost with what Hajime was trying to say. 

“We can meet up together less if I’m wearing on your nerves, Hajime.” Nagito offered innocently. Hajime did his best not to choke on his water. 

“That’s uh, not what I was trying to say. I just meant that, erm, if you’d be interested we could sometime, maybe, uh… I dunno, like go on a date. Or be dating. Or something.” Hajime tried to shrug off what he was saying. He was greeted with silence on Nagito’s end.  _ O-kay. Shit. Fuck.  _ He forced a laugh that sounded painfully awkward even to him. He winced at it. “Uh, actually, doesn’t matter. Let’s forget that. Um, wow it’s starting to snow out, huh? Crazy stuff-”

“Hajime.” Nagito was frowning, his voice strangely soft. Hajime froze, mid sentence. 

“Yeah?”

“If you’re sure that you’re interested, although I can’t pretend to understand why, I’d be happy to be your boyfriend, Hajime.” 

_ Boyfriend.  _

_ Oh my God, boyfriend.  _ The word played over and over in Hajime’s head, a fizzy feeling like champagne rising in his heart. He felt a goofy smile cross his face. “Really?” He asked.

“Of course, Hajime.” Nagito smiled as well, before a slight hint of nervousness overtook it. “Although, I do have to say that I still am unsure as to  _ why _ you’d-”

“ _ Oh my God, Nagito _ .” Hajime rolled his eyes. “Just,” He took a breath. “Nevermind.” He wasn’t going to try and start addressing Nagito’s self esteem this early in the relationship, but  _ still- it’s a relationship. Like, a real relationship.  _ Hajime could still feel himself smiling.  _ I’m happy.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading, I really hope you have a nice night!! <3


	3. Celebration at the Moulin Rouge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I told people on Twitter, but my laptop is currently broken, so I'm writing on my phone and rented school computers so I'm very sorry for any errors and the delay in posting this chapter! I promise to continue putting my all into this work! Thank you for all the support and patience, it really means a lot to me <3

It had been a full week since Hajime and Nagito had officially become boyfriends, but just the thought of the word still lit Nagito’s face up with a smile. Rantaro had noticed his stranger than usual antics and poked fun at him for it, but Nagito paid no mind. The two had kept in close contact with Shuichi, adding him to their trio. 

“I’m starving.” Rantaro sighed up at the ceiling from Nagito’s couch. Nagito blinked. He was technically  _ hungry _ consider he’d only had the one drink from Hajime and he’d purposely not consumed very much for Hajime’s safety, but the thought of drinking from a stranger still left an unsettled feeling in his bones. Rantaro must have seen it on his face because he waved a hand. “You don’t have to, just… you should come with. For safety. If we work in groups, Kokichi’s less likely to attack us, probably. I mean, I’m sure he can’t take down a whole group.” Rantaro shrugged. 

“I’m sure you’re correct.” Nagito nodded thoughtfully. “Would you like me to contact Kiyo?” 

“Yeah, let him know where to meet us. We can pick up Shuichi.” Rantaro stood up and started to shrug a jacket on. “We can take my car since I know more places we can go.” He didn’t seem to notice Nagito’s hesitation at the idea. He texted Korekiyo to join them as he followed Rantaro outside and down the stairs to where the green haired man’s car was parked outside. Rantaro opened the car door and a handful of trash fell out into the street. “Shit.” He sighed and bent down to shove it back into the car with the rest of his trash. Nagito delicately opened the passenger side and did his best not to step on any of the empty plastic cups sitting on the floor. “Sorry, I keep meaning to get it cleaned.” Rantaro mumbled as he started the car, not sounding genuine at all.

“Ah, it’s… no worry.” Nagito stared at the trash. He could handle messy like Hajime, where it was simple clutter and mess, but Rantaro’s trash stuffed car often put him on edge. Rantaro had some punk sounding music playing from his radio and it created a nice background noise until they reached the address Shuichi had given them. They parked the car and got out, walking up the sidewalk and sending him a text. A few moments later, Shuichi pushed the door open. 

“Oh, hey, it’s you guys. Come on in.” He opened the door wider for them and they filed inside. 

“Cool place.” Rantaro looked around. 

“Thanks, it’s my cousin’s, she’s just letting me use it while I’m in university and… yeah.” Shuichi trailed off, running a hand through his hair. “Um, so what brings you all the way over here?” Shuichi tilted his head.

“We were gonna go-” Rantaro started, but someone else walked into the room. “ _ Get something to eat.” _ He finished carefully. Shuichi raised an eyebrow, looking slightly confused. 

“Who are they?” The shorter man asked, staring at Nagito and Rantaro with a strangely personal expression. Shuichi shrugged casually. 

“Some friends from school. This is Gonta. Erm, Gonta Gokuhara. I met him online awhile ago and he’s in the area.” Shuichi took a step towards ‘Gonta’ who smiled at the other two. Gonta was short, even compared to Shuichi who was much shorter than the other two. While his smile was friendly, something about his purple eyes gave Nagito a strange feeling.  _ There is something undeniably unsettling about him. How exciting!  _  “So where are we going?” Shuichi asked.

“The Titty Typhoon.” Rantaro said in a carefully neutral tone. It was a common place for vampires to frequent looking for victims and he was hoping that Shuichi would catch on that this wasn’t something his new friend could join in on. Shuichi’s eyes lit up. 

“ _ Oh _ . Okay. Um, I know some people that go there, so would it be okay if I, y’know…?” He made a gesture at his face. Nagito did not understand remotely what that meant but Rantaro nodded. 

“Yeah sure.” 

“You guys can, um, make yourselves at home. Or go wherever. I really don’t mind.” Shuichi was wandering off down a hallway, so the rest of them followed him, Gonta in the back. “Oh, Gonta, do you mind giving them a tour really fast?” Shuichi looked over to the shorter man who simply shook his head. 

“Not at all.” He smiled and started leading Rantaro back towards the living room. Nagito started to turn with them, but Shuichi stopped him at the last moment in a hushed tone. 

“Erm, Nagito. There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.” He pulled Nagito into his bathroom and sat down at the vanity, rummaging through a drawer. “I talked to my cousin, she works for the FBI, and they’ve started investigating the vampire murder case on a government level.”

“The FBI?” Nagito’s eyes went wide. “Why are they involved? Serial killers are not unusual, especially in a college town, why would they-”

“The man who was most recently, Teruteru Hanamura, he worked here but he’s a resident of the next state over, so it’s in their jurisdiction, now. Which means we have to be careful. But it also means that Kokichi will have less opportunities to attack us if everyone is on guard. But that’s not the biggest thing.” Shuichi had pulled an eyeliner from the drawer and was lining his eyes with it as they spoke, blinking a few times when he tightlined too harshly. Nagito crossed his arms, frowning. 

“That’s definitely optimal that Kokichi won’t be searching for us, but… if this is on a grander scale, it could become even more dangerous for us.”

“Exactly. And my cousin let me peek at the current profile that the BAU has and…” Shuichi sucked in a breath. “It’s different than what I expected.”

“How so?” Nagito’s curiosity was eating him. While in his head he knew the killer was morally wrong, something about the case had intrigued him even before he’d been bitten. 

“It’s not a group of vampires, like us. It’s just one single vampire. He rips them to shreds and drains their blood entirely. I’ve never seen a vampire who can even consume that much blood. Before Kirumi turned me, I was a sort of…  _ fan _ of vampires and I’ve done a lot of research and if what the profile says is true, then we’re looking at possibly one of the most powerful vampires this area has literally every seen.”

“Oh.” Nagito knew he should have been scared but the idea of being within the same city as a being so powerful created an airy feeling within him. “That is… That is big news indeed. Why wouldn’t you share this with Rantaro rather than me?”  _ I understand he’s not as close with Korekiyo as he is with Rantaro or I, but still… Rantaro is more experienced and mature than I am. I imagine he’d better know how to handle this information and what to do with it. He’s also most likely more intelligent and trustworthy for various reasons.  _ Shuichi hesitated, eyes flicking to the doorway, like he was checking for Rantaro and Gonta there. 

“We’re both new, so we,” He sighed, sounding unsure of what he was saying. “We need to play it smart, I think. We have to stick together and be careful together. I’ll tell Rantaro and Kiyo, I just wanted you to be the first to know the situation.”

“Well I’m honored, Shuichi. If I discover anything of use, although I doubt I will, I’ll come to you first. Your detective skills are truly outstanding!” Nagito beamed and Shuichi almost instantly turned a deep shade of red. He laughed nervously. 

“Y-you think so?” He had a shy smile. Nagito simply nodded. Gonta and Rantaro appeared back at the door, talking about something quietly. 

“Ready to go?” Rantaro asked the two. Nagito nodded and Shuichi stood up. 

“Um, we’ll catch you later, Gonta. Sorry.” Shuichi smiled at the shorter man who smiled back quickly.

“See ya’.” He beamed. They loaded into Rantaro’s car and met up with Korekiyo at the Titty Typhoon. He was at the bar, an angry look crossing his face as they approached.

“Where were you?” He hissed. “I’ve been waiting.”

“Shuichi had a friend over, we needed to be discreet.” Rantaro frowned. “You ready?” He did a glance around the bar, eyes narrowed and careful. His gaze fell on a visibly drunk man with pink hair trying to approach a few girls on the dance floor. He exchanged looks with Korekiyo. 

“Ah,” Nagito noticed the exchange and took a breath. “Where should Shuichi and I wait?”

“There is a bathroom upstairs where you can jam the door. Wait for us there.” Kiyo nodded quietly as he could over the music. Nagito waited for Shuichi to follow before he made his way upstairs and into one of the bar’s small bathrooms.

“Do they, um, always do the work?” Shuichi asked. Nagito grinned.

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t normally drink with them. But the times I have, it’s mostly Kiyo. I think he finds some sort of enjoyment in it.”

“Huh.” Shuichi’s expression was an easy one to read. “Kirumi used to have me help her find people, although I wasn’t very good at it.”  He checked his hair in one of the mirrors and frowned. “Where do you get your blood if you don’t…. Er….?” 

Nagito’s laugh came out in a tumble of breath. “I’ve only drunk once, Shuichi. I’m an even newer vampire than you are in some ways.”

“That’s gotta be impossible, though. I’m younger than you and I’ve already had to drink almost four times.” Shuichi frowned in confusion.

“I’m even weaker than I look.” Nagito smiled bitterly. “Starving myself is no issue. Blood is a hassle.”

“But how are you going to survive?”

“I, ah,” Nagito’s mind flitted to the night Hajime had offered him his blood, a warm feeling spreading through him. “I have  _ connections _ for when I’m in terrible need, but-” There was a loud knocking at the door. 

“Hey it’s Rantaro, this guy’s drunk, he really needs help-” Rantaro’s voice filtered through and Shuichi opened the door, letting Rantaro, Korekiyo, and their victim in. It was the drunk pink haired man from earlier. “Ko, block the door, Kiyo get your stuff out.” Rantaro huffed, setting the man down on the ground. He was out cold. Nagito followed Rantaro’s instructions and leaned against the door, watching Korekiyo pull a small container from his coat. He pulled a syringe from it and inserted it into the man’s arm, attaching it to a small tube that emptied back into the container. 

“This is… Much different than Kirumi used to do.”

“I’m not ruining my clothes. Syringes are cleaner.” Rantaro shook his head, eyes watching Korekiyo intensely.

“The more mess, the more risk. Of course, sometimes we go without.” He sent a pointed glance at where Nagito’s scar would be under his sweater. “But with everything going on, it’s safer to be discreet.” When the container was full, he pulled the syringe out, shaking it a few times before tossing it in the garbage.  _ They don’t have a dangerous waste disposal box here.  _ Nagito frowned at the garbage can. “This is the most we can safely take.” Korekiyo picked the container up off the floor. 

“Why don’t we just drink from people who agree to it?” Nagito asked, disdain clear in his voice. Korekiyo raised an eyebrow.

“Nobody would.” He responded before raising the container to his lips. Shuichi shook his head.

“That’s how Kirumi found me. I used to post on a vampire fans website. She asked to drink my blood and I agree, but she drank too much and she had to turn me to stop me from dying. I was overjoyed when I woke up.” Shuichi stared down at one of his pale hands as if he was reliving the incident. 

“Is it the same site you met Gonta on?” Rantaro’s voice seemed distant, his eyes trained on the container. Shuichi nodded.

“He would go on there and tell everyone vampires aren’t real and we should stop being freaks.”

“Sounds like a joy.” Korekiyo sighed sarcastically, pulling the container from his lips and handing it to Rantaro. “So he doesn’t know?”

“I’m positive he has no idea.”

“Good. It’s too dangerous to trust humans with too much information.” Korekiyo’s gaze flitted to Nagito for just a moment, but it was enough. Nagito frowned dryly. 

“We all have our own decisions to make.” He saw Rantaro hand the container to Shuichi, wiping his mouth. He mumbled something about saving some for Nagito to Shuichi, but Nagito waved his hand to tell him it wasn’t necessary.  _ Even if I was interested in drinking a stranger’s blood,  wouldn’t want it from a container that came from Korekiyo’s pocket and was previously laying on the floor of a bar’s public bathroom.  _ Nagito could feel disgust welling up as a tangible taste in the back of his throat, so he closed his eyes and tried to silence his thinking. As Shuichi started to drink from the container, Rantaro exchanged glances with Korekiyo. 

“There’s something we wanted to tell the both of you about.” Rantaro leaned against a sink, playing with one of his piercings. “There’s a sort of… vampire event, is that the right word?” He turned to Korekiyo, who shrugged. “Well, there’s one of those coming up. You’re both invited. Shuichi, they’ll probably say a few words for Kirumi. Nagito, my friends will be excited to meet you. Would either of you be interested? It’ll be next Monday, I believe. I’d really recommend it. It’s a good way to meet other vampires. That way if something ever happens to me or Kiyo, you guys can have other senior vampires to fall back on.” Rantaro’s voice dipped slightly, in an almost nervous tone.  _ He really is genuinely nervous that something will happen to him.  _ Nagito realized in surprise.  _ I’ve been spoiled. Kirumi was removed enough from me that I still felt at least some degree of separation. If something were to happen to someone as close to me as Rantaro or Korekiyo, I’m not sure what I’d do.  _

“Nnh… what’s…. Gnn?” The pink haired man on the floor was stirring, eyes just barely looking around. Korekiyo looked annoyed. 

“Nagito, look through his phone for someone we can call. If you can’t find anyone, we’ll leave him here.”

“Alright.” Nagito knelt down and took the man’s phone from his pocket. He pressed his limp finger to the lock screen to open it and turned to his contact. There was someone he’d called recently saved as “Gundham Tanaka” with the title “roomate” and an angry emoji. He dialled the number and waited a few moments before someone picked up. 

“Hi, I’m at the Titty Typhoon Bar. A man here with pink hair had a few too many drinks and passed out in one of the bathrooms, we called the first number on his phone.” Nagito didn’t wait for a reply before hanging up. “We should leave.” Nagito stared nervously at the barely moving body lying on the tiled floor. Shuichi drank the last of the blood in one swallow and then handed the container back to Korekiyo, who stowed it back away in his coat. As he handed it over, the container passed in front of Nagito and the smell of the blood alone was enough to make him feel light headed with hunger. Despite his mind being on fire with disgust, he couldn’t dispel the feeling of need crawling through his skin. He could feel the void inside himself threatening to swallow him whole if he didn’t consume blood soon. Somewhere in his mind he knew that he didn’t  _ need _ blood yet, that he could go another week without his body starting to shut down without it, but the feeling inside of him was too strong to listen to reason. He pushed the door open and left the room before it could consume him completely. Rantaro checked his phone and sighed. 

“My shift starts in thirty minutes. Anyone wanna stop by McDonalds with me?” 

“I will.” Shuichi nodded eagerly. Korekiyo shook his head. 

“How are you gonna get home, Nagito?” Rantaro asked him, but his voice sounded sort of fuzzy in Nagito’s head. Nagito pulled his own phone from his pocket and dialled Hajime’s number. Hajime picked up on the second ring. 

“Are you busy?”

“Er, no. What’s up?”

“Could you pick me up from somewhere?”

“Yeah, are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“Um. Alright. Where?”

“The Titty Typhoon.” Nagito mumbled and Hajime let out a loud cough. “What’s the matter? Are you alright?” Nagito asked after a pause.

“Just, er, never thought I’d hear you say ‘titty’ is all.” Hajime held back a laugh. “I’m in my pajamas, so I’m not gonna come in, but I can pick you up outside if you want.”

“That would be lovely, thank you.” Nagito hung up. “I have a ride, Rantaro. I hope that you two have a nice time at McDonald’s.”

“‘Nice time’ is strong, but thanks. See you around.” Rantaro waved a goodbye and Shuichi followed him towards the parking lot. Nagito stood outside, the chilled air sinking into his already cold skin. There were a few people around him from the bar, who’d gone outside to smoke. He watched the gray clouds from their cigarettes float up into the sky. A few minutes passed and a man in a long, dark coat walked through the front entrance. Moments later, he reemerged with the pink haired man they’d drunk from leaning on his shoulders. Nagito watched them stumble out of the bar. The pink haired man noticed him and waved. 

“Hi!” He looked directly at Nagito. The man supporting him, who Nagito guessed was Gundham Tanaka, his apparent roommate, followed his gaze, looking Nagito up and down. 

“Hello.” Nagito did his best to look confused, as though he’d never met the man before. Gundham simply pulled the other man along with him towards the parking lot.  _ Hm.  _ Nagito felt as though something about that interaction had been dangerous, although he couldn’t put a finger on what. 

Ten minutes later, Hajime’s car pulled in front of Titty Typhoon. “I’m sorry, there was an accident, so it took me a bit longer than I thought. Were you outside the whole time?” Hajime asked as he opened the door for Nagito from inside the car. 

“Ah, it’s no problem, Hajime. I don’t think I can even get hypothermia.” Nagito stared at the pale color of the skin on his arm. He’d seen his arm that pale, before, but never when he was healthy. Usually, it only happened when he was in hospital rooms, IVs hooked up to his arms, the cottony taste of morphine in his mouth. He sucked in a breath. “Would you mind if I spent the night at your house, again, Hajime?” He turned to Hajime, ready to hear a negation, but instead being greeted with,

“Yeah sure. Sorry, it’s kind of a mess right now.”

“That’s completely fine.” Nagito blinked, a warm feeling growing in his stomach. 

“Were you, um…” Hajime trailed off as he drove, eyes focused on the road. Nagito nodded. 

“My friends, not me. I still don’t think I can bring myself to do it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s no one’s fault but my own.” Nagito could hear the tiredness in his voice. “One day I will find a more effective way to combat this hunger than simply ignoring it.”

“You don’t have to ignore it.” Hajime reminded him. Nagito froze, his body begging him for respite despite his common sense telling him no. 

“That’s too much, Hajime. I can’t continue to ask you for a sacrifice on your end just to maintain my life. Even I would get frustrated with such an arrangement. You gain nothing.”

“Please tell me you don’t believe what you’re saying.” Hajime was greeted with silence. “Holy shit okay. I  _ am _ gaining something. You’re my boyfriend, remember?” The word boyfriend set off what felt like a hoard of butterflies in Nagito’s stomach. “I like talking to you. If you died, I can’t even tell you how upset I’d be. So, seriously. I’m gaining you and that’s enough.”  _ Also last time it kinda turned me on but I really don’t wanna talk about that ‘cause it’s still sort of a thing I’m dealing with in my own head.  _

“A-ah.” Nagito mumbled. Hajime’s words had hit his very core. He’d never delved into the thought process that Hajime enjoyed spending time with him simply for who he was. He could feel a blush settle on his cheeks. He noticed it in the mirror and pressed a cold hand to his skin, watching the pink tinge disappear underneath his chilled fingertips.  _ I didn’t even know that I  _ could _ blush.  _

They reached Hajime’s house and walked inside. Hajime was hung up their coats and walked back into the room. “I meant what I said, Nagito. If you’re, uh, thirsty-” He cut himself off with a short laugh. “Thirsty sounds fucking stupid oh my God. You know what I’m trying to say.” Hajime sighed deeply. Nagito smiled, doing his best to hold in a laugh. He wasn’t sure if Hajime would take offense to it or not. 

“You don’t have to offer things you don’t mean to make me feel better, Hajime.” Nagito shook his head, putting a hand on Hajime’s arm. Hajime put a handover Nagito’s before catching his gaze. 

“I’m trying to tell you that I  _ do _ mean it.” 

“Oh.” Nagito swallowed nervously.  _ It’s scary to have someone care about you. What does he gain? Why would he choose me? _ “I… I  _ should _ drink, but of course it’s not necessary and I don’t mean to pressure you into-”

“ _ Nagito _ , you’re fine.” Hajime laughed light heartedly. “I mean, yeah, this is kinda weird. But, I guess most things are if you think about them too much.”

“Ah, that is,” Nagito smiled a little. “Insightful.”

“Let’s not go crazy.” Hajime raised an eyebrow and sat down on his couch. He shrugged off his sweatshirt to reveal a thin T-shirt. Nagito bit down on his tongue.  _ I never realized T-shirts could look so attractive.  _ He thought to himself.  _ I don’t think they’re supposed to. Maybe Hajime is the one with the supernatural powers, not me.  _ Hajime pulled the neck of his T-shirt aside, showing the slightly tanned skin underneath. “It’s all yours.” Nagito sucked in a breath.  _ Ah.  _

On Hajime’s side of the internal dialogue, he was screeching at himself.  _ What the fuck did you just say? ‘It’s all yours?’ Holy shit, that sounds so stupid. I’m gonna scream. I’m gonna actually scream out loud and Nagito is gonna realize that I’m crazy, not because I let him drink my blood or hang out with vampire killers despite having a vampire boyfriend, no. He’s gonna realize I’m crazy ‘cause I can’t fucking put a sentence together.  _ It was only the sudden pricking sensation that brought Hajime back from his thoughts and into the real world. Nagito hadn’t wasted any precious seconds like the last time they’d done it. He didn’t lift his head from Hajime’s neck, but he began moving closer to the other man until he was once again straddling him. He could feel Nagito’s tongue lapping at the blood and it sent a shiver down his spine, hoping Nagito didn’t feel him shiver. Despite the coldness of Nagito’s skin, there was an undeniable heat growing in Hajime. A needy, high noise came from the back of Nagito’s throat, one of his pale hands gripping Hajime’s shoulder to move even closer, their bodies connecting at multiple points. Hajime was suddenly much more aware of a tightness in his pants and he realized that if Nagito hadn’t felt him shiver, then he was definitely feeling everything else Hajime’s body was doing against his will. He felt Nagito pull away.  _ Shit shit shit. Oh my fucking God. Is it too late to go jump out my window? How fast could I get there? I don’t wanna see his face when I try to explain this. “Hi, you’ve awakened some sort of strange vampire fetish in me ‘cause you’re really hot and now I’m gonna die of embarrassment?” Yeah.  _

“Hajime?” Nagito blinked in surprise, the hand that been on Hajime’s shoulder moving downwards. However, rather than feeling Nagito push off of him, Hajime felt a hand press against the front of his sweatpants. “Are you okay with this?” He asked at the sharp breath it tore from Hajime.  _ I mean it’s basically the wet dream I’ve had for the last week but I can play it cool. Maybe.  _

“Y-yeah. You?” His brain wasn’t focusing on forming full sentences. Nagito nodded, humming his approval. “Um, I don’t have condoms, so-”

“Do you want my mouth or my hands?” Nagito’s phrasing made Hajime’s dick twitch. 

He started to form the word “mouth” before remembering that  _ fangs are a thing. Definitely a thing. _ “H-Hands.” He watched the way Nagito’s hair moved with him as he nodded his head. Hajime felt deft hands find their way back to his groin, rubbing him over his sweatpants until he gripped one of Nagito’s wrists. 

“My hands will be cold.” Nagito warned, catching Hajime’s eyes with a warning look. 

“That’s fi- _ah_ _okay._ I see what you mean.” He winced. 

“I’m sorry-”

“Not your fault.” He shook his head quickly. He was hoping the sooner the conversation was over, the sooner  _ other _ things would continue happening. Nagito seemed to pick up on this because he gripped Hajime firmly and suddenly enough to draw a small gasp from the other man. Hajime had had enough experiences in the past with dry handjobs to be worried, but something about the mixture of the coldness and his own precome created a feeling that was sending an icy hot feeling up his spine. He could hear Nagito’s breath in his ear, which managed to spur him on even more. Nagito’s pace was quickening, his hand moving faster and making a slick sound that Hajime would have been embarrassed of if his head had the room for embarrassment at the time. His mind was vaguely aware of Nagito’s free hand leaving his side and snaking into his own pants. He could feel a consuming numbness growing in the pit of his stomach. “Nagito-” He said the other man’s name without meaning to, not completely sure of where his mind wanted him to go. Nagito didn’t respond, he just leaned down to kiss the mark he’d left where Hajime’s neck my his shoulder, both of his hands moving faster. 

The action caused the white heat in his stomach to grow, spreading to his limbs until he tumbled into a release, coming into Nagito’s hand with a small noise of surprise, followed by a groan. The world was hazy for a few seconds as he watched Nagito bring a messy hand to his face and lick it. Somewhere, some still functional part of Hajime’s brain thought  _ holy fuck.  _ Nagito shuddered into his own orgasm, eyes fluttering closed and thighs tightening for a brief moment around Hajime’s hips. When his breathing had evened out, Hajime put a hand on Nagito’s arm. He handed him a tissue from the couch-side table, grateful he’d had a cold awhile ago and left them out. He made a mental note in his head to have them on handy in case they did this again.  _ Walking around the house looking for a kleenex while Nagito sits here with sticky hands sounds awkward as hell and definitely not sexy for him. Or me, actually. Really for anyone.  _

Nagito’s grayish green eyes locked onto Hajime’s brown ones, a strange clarity in them that took Hajime by surprise. He smiled, wide and genuine. Hajime let out a small laugh. “Hm?” Nagito tilted his head.

“I just noticed your fangs. I don’t normally see them.” He put a hand to Nagito’s cheek. It was still cold despite the slight flush that had settled on it. 

“Ah, I apologize, I’m sure they’re unsightly-” He started to bring a hand to his mouth, but Hajime gripped it, instead, holding his hand. 

“Nah, it’s cute.” He shook his head. That blush that had already begun to fade came back full force.

 

* * *

 

 

Hajime woke up in a tangle of limbs the next morning, multiple blankets piled on top of both of them. He expected the places where Nagito’s bare skin touched his to feel icy but instead they created a comfortable coolness. They’d talked for awhile the night before, until Hajime went to his room to sleep and Nagito followed.  _ I’m not about to complain. An attractive guy sleeping in my bed. I can’t even remember the last time a date spent the night.  _ Hajime purposely didn’t move when he woke up, just enjoyed the feeling of Nagito’s weight against him and the softness of the skin on Nagito’s arm that had been laid on him as they slept. 

A few minutes later, Nagito’s phone beeped and he stirred for a brief second before going back to sleep. Hajime couldn’t help the smile that crept up his face as he watched sleepy Nagito. Nagito’s phone went off again and he finally blinked fully awake, eyes tired and limbs heavy. “Mmh. Hajime.” He ignored his phone to bury his head in Hajime’s chest. Hajime pressed a kiss to the top of his head, wondering if he could even feel the gesture beneath all his layers of hair. “I should probably see who that is.” Nagito sat up just enough to grab his phone and check it. He turned it off and leaned back into Hajime. “Just Rantaro.” 

“Oh are you guys gonna hang out tonight?” Hajime wasn’t sure how to phrase “drink blood” in a less abrupt way. Nagito shook his head.

“He just wants me to come to some vampire event. I’m not sure why he chose  _ me  _ as a guest, but I suppose he has more knowledge on the subject than I do.” Nagito sighed, looking away from his phone. 

“Is that safe?”

“Yes. He said it was a good idea in case something were to happen to him. It will help me make connections with other vampires.”

“But isn’t that dangerous? Hanging out with a bunch of vampires?”

“I’m not the one you should be asking.” Nagito responded dryly, one eyebrow cocked above the other. Hajime exhaled.

“You’re right.” He stretched out his arms and started to peel himself off of Nagito. “Do you want breakfast? I’ve still got those waffles.”

“The freezerburnt ones?” Nagito questioned.

“Yeah. Good memory.”

“Ah, my memory is dreadful but thank you for humoring me.” Nagito rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he watched Hajime rise from the bed and yawn. They walked into the kitchen together and Hajime dug through his freezer and fridge. 

“Oh! I’ve got eggs. I forgot. I should probably get rid of these soon, anyway.” Hajime handed the carton to Nagito, who stared at it blankly.  _ Oh shit I forgot.  _ He reached back into the fridge to fetch some shredded cheese and put that on top of the carton Nagito was holding. “In case you want scrambled eggs or an omelet, I guess.” 

“I’m making them?” Nagito was still staring at the carton.

“If it’s a problem, I can-”

“No! No problem at all, Hajime. I’ll make scrambled eggs.” He sounded like he was declaring it to some unseen audience as he spoke, turning towards the stove and starting it. Hajime turned back to the freezer and grabbed the waffles. He knelt down to get his toaster and dropped two into it, waiting patiently for them to cook. He was starting to zone out, staring at the heated coils inside the machine and the way they burned different shades of red when the smell of something burning brought him back to reality. Hajime turned around quickly, not prepared for what he was about to see. 

His frying pan was on fire behind a surprised looking and worryingly frozen Nagito. “Nagito? Holy shit, uh-” He started, but Nagito was reaching for the water pitcher. “ _ STOP!” _ Hajime grabbed his wrist just in time. He grabbed the lid from the side of the stove and shoved it over the fire, turning the dial off. “Are you okay?” He immediately turned to Nagito, who was still watching the pan with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap or grab you that hard, it’s just y’know grease fires and water don’t mix and I kind of  _ really _ don’t want you to blow up, so…” He trailed off, letting go of Nagito’s wrist. The white haired man finally seemed to come back to his senses and his gaze fell on Hajime. 

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Um, have you… have you ever made scrambled eggs, before?” He blinked.

“No.” Nagito blinked. 

“O-oh. Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair, adrenaline from the situation finally calming down. “Y’know, you could’ve told me that. Like, I don’t mind cooking. I just assumed you knew how, it wasn’t like a… thing. I dunno.” 

“I didn’t want you to think I was foolish.”

“I mean, yeah it’s a little weird that you, uh, can’t cook an egg. But everyone’s got their thing. I’m still not really sure how to get stains out. We’re, like, barely adults. It’s not a big deal.” Hajime could tell the tiny storm that was always inside of Nagito was starting to brew into something bigger and guiltier. 

“Did I ruin your stove? I’ll pay for a new one-”

“It’s fine.”

“You say that Hajime, but-”

“Like seriously. Sonia did the exact same thing a few weeks ago when we were all drunk. I don’t care.” Hajime shook his head. “C’mere.” Hajime pulled Nagito into a loose hug. “You don’t need to be stressed out around me all the time. I promise I’m probably the least intimidating person ever.”

“Hajime.” It wasn’t a question or a call or even the start of a sentence. It was just a name that Nagito spoke into the world at that exact moment for reasons neither of them could be completely certain of. Hajime smiled, feeling Nagito’s arms tighten around him. Nagito pulled away slightly and suddenly he was vaguely aware of him leaning down and cold lips on his mouth and - _ holy shit we’re kissing.  _ Despite the different types of intimacy the night prior and drinking Hajime’s blood held, they both also contained something that made them more advanced actions. There were motives, pure and impure, behind them that created a melange of reasons and life circumstances but their kiss wasn’t a concoction of ideas. It was pure affection. Hajime felt one of his hands settle on Nagito’s lower back, pulling him closer. Nagito was cold and his lips were chapped and he was visibly nervous, which seemed ironic considering his apparent lack of nerves the night before, but it was still easily one of the best kisses Hajime had ever had. Their fumbling wasn’t terrible or forced, it felt as though him and Nagito were one person and they’d been made to be one person since the moment they’d come into existence.  _ I’m getting way too sappy about a kiss. I’m like a truck stop romance novel right now, Jesus.  _ Hajime swallowed his thoughts, his mind more focused on the present until a grating noise rang loudly in the small kitchen, interrupting them. 

_ My phone.  _ Hajime reached into his pocket and answered. “Kinda busy right now.”

“Hajime, can you swing by in an hour? Gundham said it’s important.” 

“Chiaki, right now is  _ really _ not a good time.”

“Gundham’s freaking out.”

“Okay -yeah. Fine. I’ll be there.” He hung up and shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Sorry, apparently Gundham’s doing something. I dunno.” He looked back at Nagito, who seemed to blink back to reality. 

“A-ah. I understand.” He nodded slowly, seeming dazed.  _ He’s cute. Is he really that beat up over a kiss? It’s not like it was- _

“Oh my God.”

“Hajime?”

“That was our first kiss.” Hajime felt his eyes blow wide.  _ No way. When I asked him out -wait no. Last night- what the fuck? I let him jerk me off before I even kissed him? What kind of half ass boyfriend am I? _ “I let you… And I didn’t… Oh no…” He put a hand to his head. Nagito seemed to understand the vague point he was making. 

“Please don’t feel guilty, Hajime. You’ve done nothing wrong in our relationship.”

“Erm-”  _ Ding.  _ The waffles popped out of the toaster, forever silencing Hajime. He took a breath. “I guess we’ll stick to just waffles, then.” 

 

* * *

 

 

An hour later, Hajime pulled into his spot at the pizza parlor, expression stony. He walked into the restaurant and sat down. He saw Kokichi sitting cross legged at the seat across from him and the little patience he’d had left with the situation snapped cleanly in two. “This better fucking be good.”

“Or what? What’s  _ so _ pressing at eleven am on a Saturday, Hajime?” Kokichi’s slight smile told Hajime he knew  _ exactly _ was was so “pressing.” “But it is important, so looks like it works out for everyone!” He clapped a hand down on the desk. “Sonia, tell everyone what you and Gundham told me last night.”

“Erm, well…” Sonia took a breath. “Souda got drunk at the titty typhoon last night. Alone.”  _ Wait. That’s where I picked Nagito up from. Oh no.  _ An icy feeling was running down Hajime’s back.  _ I don’t like where this is going.  _ “Fortunately, Gundham received a call from a stranger that Souda needed to be picked up, but according to Souda, when he woke up on the bathroom floor, one of the men in there was talking about a… well, some sort of vampire party.” Sonia frowned. There were collective gasps from Ibuki and Chiaki. Gundham and Kokichi simply nodded along while Hajime gripped his knee tightly under the table.  _ Vampire party? Titty Typhoon? This can’t be a fucking coincidence. Oh no. Oh no.  _

“Vampire party? That sounds hella fun!” Ibuki smiled. The table turned to look at her. “Oh, uh… I mean. Yeah, let’s kill ‘em.” She frowned with a noticeable drop in demeanor. 

“Okay, but are we really gonna trust Souda’s drunk memory? We don’t even have a date or time.” Chiaki frowned. Hajime was grateful she voiced his same concerns so he wouldn’t have to. Kokichi snorted. 

“Um, I’m not an idiot.” Kokichi laughed once. Hajime snorted and was met with a glare from him. “I did my research and it’s a real thing. I have a date and time. If you guys are ready, then I am, too.”

“This seems a little… over ambitious.” Hajime did his best to sound impartial, but Kokichi still gave him a dry look. 

“Okay, who wants to sit in here and talk about vampires. That’s Hajime’s plan, in case you couldn’t tell.  _ Orrrrr _ who would rather go crash a secret vampire party with holy water?” Kokichi crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Ibuki wiggled in her seat. 

“Ooh! I know!”

“Nice. Correct answer, Ibuki!” Kokichi gave her a thumbs up. 

“You literally didn’t even let her finish.” Hajime sighed. Kokichi gave him a smile much too wide to be genuine in any capacity. 

“Hm, Ibuki, which sounds more fun?”

“Vampire slaying.” She nodded seriously. Gundham voiced his agreement. Hajime groaned.  _ If I tell Nagito not to go, then I have to tell him that I’m in contact with Kokichi Ouma. I didn’t think that was a big deal at first, but now if I tell him, then I have to make it obvious that I’ve been lying to him. And in all honesty, I think he’ll freak out and make himself an even bigger target. I know it’s not my place to decide what he should and shouldn’t know, it’s just that… with his life on the line there’s very little wiggle room for me. I need to protect him no matter the cost.  _ A plan was forming slowly in Hajime’s mind.  _ One more lie could just cancel this one out, right? … Okay yeah, no. How does Kokichi keep up with all his lies like this? You think it would drive someone crazy.  _ His plan came to its final conclusion and Hajime took a deep breath, mustering every bit of will in his body. 

“Y’know what, guys?” He put a hand on the table. “You’re right. I’ve been a real bitch about everything. Let’s go kill some vampires.” He nodded enthusiastically. Chiaki flashed him a suspicious look, but said nothing. Kokichi raised a single eyebrow. “If the vampires want secrets, then maybe it’s up to use to let them know that we can play that game, too.” He sent a pointed stare in Kokichi’s direction. The pissed off look on his face told him it had made its mark, even if it disappeared after less than a second, replaced by a forced excitement. 

“Great! Glad to know you’ve finally started  _ not _ being a complete, utter waste of breath! Only someone like that would be for saving vampires instead of killing them!” Kokichi chanted happily. 

“Of course! I’m all about  _ passion _ for this, Kokichi. I can’t even imagine that there are people out there who would simply do this just for money and nothing more. What total leeches!” He smiled back. 

“Um, are you guys even talking about the same thing anymore?” Chiaki frowned, leaning forward in her chair, eyes darting between them like a tennis match. 

“Of course.” They answered at the same time.

 

* * *

 

 

Meanwhile, Nagito was back in his own apartment, studying. A painting by Giovanni Boldini was open on his computer, one he’d loved since he was a child. When he’d first been introduced to it through a children’s art book, it had gone by only one of its official titles:  _ Celebration _ . The final four words were conveniently left out for juvenile audiences. Now that he was studying it as an adult, he was very much aware of the fact that the people in the painting weren’t simply celebrating, but rather celebrating at the Moulin Rouge, back in the late 1800s and its most controversial time. 

The painting had enthralled him at such a young age because of its subject. People. A party. Laughing. Small talk. All things he had been sure he’d never understand as a child.  _ Actually, on second thought, I still share that entire sentiment. I’m not sure I’ll ever understand the idea of not being alone, other than- ah.  _ Nagito cut his brain off.  _ I shouldn’t overstep. Hajime is kind, but altruism can only work as an energy source for so long. He’ll get tired of me eventually. Although… it feels so nice to be truly cared about. To be made into something special in the eyes of another.  _ Nagito felt his heart start to flutter so he turned back to the painting, trying not to let his thoughts of Hajime distract him. It had been proving to be difficult since that first day that he’d run into Hajime at the library.  _ Of course back then he was only a handsome stranger. I never would have thought he’d be my boyfriend. _ Nagito smiled, a blush creeping up his cheeks.  _ Ah! I’m getting even more distracted now! _ He rubbed his eyes and zoomed in on the painting, trying to get a feel for the texture to see if he could include a paragraph in his newest essay on that. 

Instead, he found himself absorbing the color and bustling energy of the painting.  _ It’s so… warm and exciting but at the same time… there is something about it that gives me anxiety. I used to think it was because it was an image of something I will never have, but maybe it is more than that.  _ He frowned at the image intently. The bright red backdrop, characteristic of the Moulin Rouge created an uneasy feeling in Nagito. Somewhere in his mind he knew that red signified danger in color psychology.  _ It is used to denote danger because it forces your eyes to look upon it. It’s as if all of these people are gathered -shoved- together but completely unaware of something bigger happening.  _ “Hm.” He chewed lightly on the end of his pencil with one of his fangs. “What a worrying thought.”


	4. Moonlight and Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wrote most of this chap in one sitting as a break from my all-nighter, so I apologize for any errors on my part. If I notice them, I'll try to come back and clean them up when I'm a bit more awake! This chapter contains a lot more references to ships other than hikoma and I'm very sorry if that bothers anyone! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a nice day <3

Everyone met at the pizza parlor a while later to discuss their plans for the vampire event. Hajime threw down his backpack on an empty booth and took a seat next to Chiaki. “Hajime, can we talk sometime soon?” She asked in a hushed tone.

“Um sure?” He blinked, a slight nervousness running through him.  _ What does she want to talk about? Has she found something out? _ There was a large commotion and suddenly Kokichi was standing in the doorway with Gundham, who was carrying various bags (most of them larger than Kokichi himself). 

“Heyo guys!” Kokichi sat himself down while Gundham set the bags on surrounding tables. “Thanks Gundham, I don’t really do the whole heavy lifting thing.” He pointed to the bags and took a sudden breath. “ _ So _ , we are here today to talk about our plans and I’ve got lots of ‘em. Like, seriously, a ton.” He frowned, like he was thinking about something. “As Gundham has so nicely demonstrated for us here, he’ll be doing heavy lifting. Chiaki’s gonna be our getaway driver, Ibuki’s in charge of holy water, and Sonia will be comin’ with me into the party. Hajime’s our back-up getaway driver.”

“‘Back up getaway driver?’ Really?” Hajime raised an eyebrow in Kokichi’s direction, who just shrugged. 

“Sorry, bud. You weren’t too keen on everything ‘till recently so you haven’t earned a cool job, yet.”

“But I have been and I’m still getaway driver.” Chiaki scowled. 

“Someone’s gotta do it and you’re the best driver here.”

“How would you know that?”

“Uh. I dunno. Sixth sense. Moving on, I’ll go over everything.” He reached behind himself and grabbed one of the bags he’d had Gundham carry for him. He reached into it and pulled out a gun. 

“Holy shit, Kokichi-”

“Relax.” He cut off Hajime’s gasp. “It’s not even loaded. But it will be. Petrified wood bullets right through the heart can kill. If I miss a bit, eh, well, maiming is okay, too, I guess. But I’m not letting any of you use this. One, it takes practice. Two, it’s mine.  _ Bu-ut _ , I do have something you can use.” He handed Sonia a blade made from what also looked to be wood. “Stakes are cooler but this will work since you’re a beginner. I think you’re gonna be the best at pretending to be a vampire out of everyone here, so that’s why I chose you. Ibuki, you’re gonna sit with a bucket of holy water with Chiaki in her car. 

Ibuki nodded excitedly, high-fiving Chiaki. “Erm, I’m glad to have Ibuki with me, but why is the holy water in my car? Shouldn’t it be with you guys?” She was drumming her fingers on the table. 

“I was getting there.” He shot her a look. “If any vamps follow any of the three of us going in, you guys are gonna splash ‘em. That’ll make them stop long enough for us to get away. Vampires heal from holy water burns but not quickly, so it’ll scare them off.” Kokichi went through the rest of the plan, talking over anyone who tried to interrupt. Hajime could tell it had been on his mind a long time because he wasn’t being as patient as he usually was with Ibuki or Gundham. Him, Gundham, and Sonia would infiltrate the vampire party disguised as vampires. Gundham would carry their weapons and watch from afar to make sure they were okay. Kokichi and Sonia would find something to cause a distraction and when they did, alert Gundham, who’d give them their weapons and then find the nearest exit and wait there. Sonia would cause the distraction and Kokichi would kill as many vampires possible until they’d meet up at the exit and run to Chiaki’s car. Ibuki would be in the back, ready to deter any stragglers. Hajime would wait in his car down the street and drive around after to see the damage.  _ It’s a terrible plan.  _ Hajime didn’t say what he was thinking aloud, although the thought was tempting.  _ Even though we don’t get along, I have to admit that Kokichi is easily one of the smartest people I know, but… this plan is something one of us would come up with. And we’re not, y’know, fucking professional vampire hunters or whatever.  _ He sighed, a terrible thought striking him as he stared across the table at Kokichi’s constantly moving form.  _ Oh no.  _ An ominous feeling loomed over him.  _ Of course this plan is bad. It’s not even his plan. Kokichi doesn’t care about whatever’s gonna happen tomorrow night. This is just some part of a bigger game. A single measure in Kokichi’s little orchestra of life. He’s using us for something, but I don’t know what.  _ Hajime sat up, suddenly making eye contact with the purple haired man.  _ Maybe Nagito isn’t the only one I care about who’s in danger.  _

The meeting continued until Kokichi was confident everyone understood their role and Ibuki was done asking questions about how holy water worked. She was humming a song about it as Chiaki tapped out a beat on the table. Kokichi frowned and stood up. “Alright, I’m leaving.” He started towards the door until he spotted a jar of pizza sauce set on the counter where the menus usually were. “Why’s that there?” He frowned. 

“Is it important?” Hajime was confused. Kokichi ignored him. 

“It’s bad. People will get sick if they eat it, so Gundham and I were going to get rid of it.”

“They’ll get sick?” Kokichi asked, a finger to his lips. Sonia nodded. 

“We have a stack of pizzas in back that we made using it and we have to throw out-”

‘’I’ll take them.” He ducked his head into the kitchen, seeing the stack and taking it. “Thanks, bye.” He left the restaurant without another word.

 

* * *

 

 

Nagito had accompanied Rantaro to Shuichi’s house. They were drinking beers in his basement while Rantaro played some game on his Playstation. Shuichi had been ranting to Nagito for the last thirty minutes about some detective game he’d gotten into and Nagito was doing his best to nod along politely. 

“Shuichi? I’m home.” There was a voice upstairs. 

“Oh! Gonta, we’re downstairs.” Shuichi called up and the sound of footsteps followed. 

“I brought dinner.” Gonta was holding pizza boxes. The logo looked familiar to Nagito, though he couldn’t think of why. Gonta noticed him staring and frowned, but didn’t say anything. 

“O-oh, um, I can’t eat garlic, Gonta.” Shuichi frowned apologetically. 

“I know, don’t worry. Garlic free, 100%.” Gonta smiled. “Did you think I’d forget? Jeez.” He set the pizzas down on the table. “I’m gonna change, I’ll be back.” Nagito watched the shorter man leave, quietly. 

Rantaro paused the game he was playing. “So, uh, Shuichi?”

“Yeah?” Shuichi looked up. 

“You and Gonta…?”

“What about us?” Shuichi frowned in confusion.  _ Ah he’s as clueless as Hajime.  _ Nagito thought to himself. 

“Are you two a thing or…? ‘Cause you seem pretty close and you live together now and you kinda talk about him a lot, so I was just wondering.” Rantaro raised an eyebrow. Shuichi instantly turned beet red. 

“A-ah, hah… Um… No. I don’t think he’s really a  _ relationship _ sort of person. Or I’d doubt it, at least.” He put a hand to his chin. 

“I mean, he’s cute. You guys could-” Gonta walked back into the room and Rantaro quieted down. Rantaro took a bite of pizza and frowned. “Uh, this tastes like garlic.”

“Fake garlic powder. You can buy it Whole Foods I think.” Kokichi countered. 

“I’ve never heard of that.” Nagito sat up, connecting eyes with Kokichi. “I don’t mean to imply you’re a liar, I simply wish I’d known about it, before.” Nagito laughed lightly. Gonta’s face, which had been slightly defensive when Nagito began to speak softened just barely. 

“Yeah. I already ate while I was there, so you guys can help yourselves. Shuichi, if you need me, I’ll be upstairs.” Once again, Gonta left the room. Shuichi and Rantaro started eating but Nagito pulled his phone out quickly, googling fake garlic. Nothing appeared.  _ Hm. I don’t think I’ll take my chances.  _ He decided, using Gonta’s excuse of having already eaten. 

 

* * *

 

 

When the day rolled around, Rantaro and Shuichi had both come down with some sort of violent food poisoning.  _ Maybe fake garlic isn’t as fake as it claims to be.  _ Nagito thought, pulling on his suit for the vampire party. He was planning on meeting up with Kiyo there, which he’d arranged after receiving a very apologetic call from Rantaro. “It’s no problem!” He’d said.  _ And it truly isn’t. I’m not sure how well I would have gotten along with all of Rantaro’s vampire friends, anyway. I’m sure they’re much cooler than I am.  _ Nagito took a look at his hair and promptly gave up on it. Rantaro and Shuichi spent time every morning putting themselves together and while looks weren’t Korekiyo’s thing, he still brushed out his hair every morning.  _ I am ugly anyways, it doesn’t matter.  _ Nagito’s thought process was a negative one. He put his wallet in his pocket and checked the weather report.  _ I don’t think I’ll need a jacket. Hopefully.  _ Since his cancer diagnosis, Nagito had been forced to constantly worry about catching a cold. For most of his friends, the worst a cold could create was a sinus infection, for him, it could mean death if he wasn’t careful. Countless surgeries, treatments, and medications had destroyed his immune system, making him weaker than the average person. But since he’d been turned, Nagito had made a point of often going without a jacket.  _ Colds no longer hold a threat over me. If I am cold, it is simply that.  _

He got into his car and drove to the address Rantaro had texted him. Nagito was undeniably nervous. Nervous enough to pull out his phone and call Hajime. It only rang twice before Hajime picked up. “Hey, Nagito?”

“Hajime! I-I ah… Actually, nevermind. Goodbye-”

“No, what’s up?”

Nagito stayed silent for a moment, taking in a breath. “It’s foolish.”

“That’s fine.” There was the noise of a car starting on Hajime’s end.  _ I wonder where he’s going. Maybe to see some friends, as well.  _ Nagito;s nails dug into the steering wheel. 

“I’m going to a party and I’m nervous.”  _ I am so fortunate to have someone like Hajime. Before him, I was alone. Of course, I have Rantaro and Shuichi and sometimes Korekiyo, but… there is a certain divide. A a wall that separates me from being able to properly communicate with them. I have always been alone with my thoughts since I was young and until just recently, I believed wholeheartedly that I always would be. I don’t think I was a creature that was made to be understood, and yet… Hajime seems to do his best to try. He cares about me genuinely and wholly and that is utterly terrifying because I don’t understand it but I-I want to. I want him to understand how much he means to me eventually. No one has ever filled this void before because before I met him, I wasn’t aware that there was a void, I just thought that it was me.  _ “I have this feeling that something is going to happen, Hajime. I think it’s my fear of socializing as poorly as I do, but-”

“O-oh.” Hajime’s voice cracked slightly. “So you’re definitely going tonight?”

“Yes.”

“If you’re nervous, stay home. I’m sure that your friends can just fill you in on how things went, right?” Hajime was speaking faster than usual. 

“No, I should go. But I am scared that I will waste the kindness that’s been shown to me by being as subpar as I am.” Nagito could vaguely see some people walking into the building he’d been told the party was in. 

“Nagito, if they have two functional brain cells then they will realize you’re an intelligent, interesting guy and love you, okay? If they don’t, then it’s not your fault they’re stupid.” Hajime’s voice was suddenly firmer, more confident in what he was saying. He felt tears prick in his eyes, but he blinked them away quickly. 

“Thank you Hajime, goodnight.” 

“Goodnight. Hey, uh Nag-” Hajime started but Nagito had already hung up. He stared at the phone.  _ I hope he wasn’t going to tell me something important.  _ He put it into his pocket and got out of his car, heading towards the building. He smiled nervously at the man in front of the door. When his fangs were visible, the man silently opened the door. Inside, Nagito started texting Korekiyo until he found the long haired man standing against the back wall of the first room. Nagito glanced around at the dozens of vampires around them. He’d never been in the presence of more than a handful and it only then struck him how strange the situation was.  _ I never would have imagined myself surrounded by so many powerful creatures. Just the thought that I am one of them- _ Nagto cut his own thoughts off with wide eyes. It was far too much to take in in a single moment. 

“I’ll begin introducing you to people.” Korekiyo was wearing a suit, which made him look less out-there than usual. Nagito wondered if complimenting it would be considered strange or not. He decided not to take his chances and simply continued following Korekiyo around and doing his best to make polite smalltalk with various vampires. Nearly all of them asked him about Rantaro and his absence, as well as the other vampire he’d taken in. “I am surprised he’s not here. Rantaro must be nearly on his deathbed if he’s absent tonight.” Korekiyo mumbled after they spoke with a particularly old vampire. Nagito nodded. 

“He sounded rather ill when we spoke on the phone.” His eyes were glancing around the room, doing his best to take everything in. Vampires of various ages and appearances were chatting, most (if not all) were wearing black or red. Nagito kept this in mind for his next event.  _ It does make a nice aesthetic. I’ve always enjoyed beautiful things. That led me to art and maybe it has led me here, as well.  _ A group of vampires approached Korekiyo and talked with him quickly, he glanced at Nagito hesitantly, who was still zoned out, staring across the room. 

“Don’t tell Rantaro I left you alone. I’ll be back later.” Korekiyo hissed quietly before leaving with a few members of the group. Nagito simply nodded, eyes still scanning the room.

 

* * *

 

It had been almost two hours since Hajime had parked his car up the road from the building. He was grateful for the half-assed position Kokichi had given him because it made his part of his plan easier.  _ Kokichi’s got his own plots and I’ve got mine. We’ll see who’s works better.  _ He got out of his car and stretched his limbs. It was about fifteen minutes before the time Sonia and Kokichi had agreed upon to set off their “distraction” and it was time for Hajime to begin his own plan. He pulled his coat around him in the cold air and began the walk towards the vampire party. Hajime was careful to take the back entrance to avoid having to pass by the vampire security or Chiaki and Ibuki. He grabbed a box from the alley and walked into the kitchen carrying it. “Who are you?” One of the people working inside asked. 

“Uh, delivery.” He coughed out.  _ Why am I such a shit liar?  _

“Fine. Put it there.” They pointed to a spot on the counter and yelled to another chef about the rest of the oranges finally arriving. 

“Um, is there a bathroom?” He asked over the loud beeping noise the stove was making. 

“That way.” They pointed farther in the venue.  _ Holy shit this is actually working. Oh my God.  _ He nodded a thanks and started walking that direction. 

“Hey, no one’s supposed to enter the main section-” A different chef started to remind the chef he’d asked direction from, so he walked faster until they were out of earshot. Kokichi had said it was semiformal, so he’d worn a suit underneath his coat. He shrugged it off, expecting the room to be hot when it was so full of people before remembering that none of the people involved gave off body heat. 

Hajime was scanning the room, looking through every face, searching for the right one when suddenly- “Hajime?”

 

* * *

 

 

Nagito’s eyes fell on the back of a head across the room from him, where an unruly spike of hair was standing up on its head. He rubbed his eyes and reopened them.  _ Am I hallucinating?  _ But sure enough, Hajime Hinata was standing amongst a crowd of vampires looking very, very lost. Nagito pushed through the crowd, making his way towards his boyfriend. “Hajime?” Confusion was clear in his voice. 

“Nagito, thank God.” Hajime whipped around. “You need to get out of here. We have to go-”

“Why?” Nagito tilted his head.  _ Hajime’s acting strangely.  _

“We just really have to go. I’ll explain later, we don’t have a lot of time right now,  _ please _ -”

“But where are we going? I’m not sure if I’m allowed to come back once I’ve left and Korekiyo said he’d return, so I should probably-”

“Nagito,  _ please. _ I am begging you. We need to leave  _ now. _ ” Hajime grabbed one of his hands, the warmth seeping through to Nagito’s cold skin. 

‘’Alright.” He mumbled, letting Hajime drag him towards a back entrance. They were a few feet away from the door when the fire alarm went off, water spraying down from above. 

“ _ Fuck _ !” Hajime swore, pulling Nagito closer. We have to go, come on.” He tried to take Nagito with him towards the door, but there was a sudden  _ crack _ that rang through the room.  _ I’m not an expert on firearms, but that was a gunshot. Someone has a gun.  _ Nagito broke out of Hajime grasp and turned back towards the crowd of people with wide eyes. 

Chaos had descended upon everyone. Vampires were screaming and running for various exits, trampling each other. Between the water and the bodies, Nagito couldn’t see where the shots were coming from. 

They were coming from Kokichi Ouma, who was standing in the middle of the room, gun raised high. _Sonia should be with Gundham by now. As soon as I’ve finished up here, I can leave._ Kokichi shot towards the air, purposely missing the vampire in front of him. He saw a mess of white hair somewhere in the crowd and frowned. _Shuichi’s friend? But I thought I made sure all of them would be sick. None of Shuichi’s friends are supposed to be here._ He cocked the gun, closing one eye to aim. _That means either Nagito was aware I was lying_ or _there’s chance he’ll recognize me now. I didn’t want to kill anyone tonight but I can’t leave loose ends open._ Just as he was about to make his shot, none other than Hajime Hinata stepped directly into his line of sight, pulling Nagito with him towards an exit. 

A sudden shot of fire blazed in Kokichi.  _ Who the fuck does he think he is to go against me? To help a vampire? I knew he had a plan but I never figured he’d have the balls to actually walk in the building. Stupid fucker- _ Kokichi took a deep breath, silencing his emotions as realization made its way into the place where the fire had been.  _ Nagito Komaeda, Shuichi’s friend, is the vampire Hajime’s dating.  _ It was good news and it was bad news, but either way, Kokichi turned his gun away from the duo. Even as Hajime accidentally opened up a clear shot to Nagito’s head when he shifted, Kokichi didn’t bother to look back at them.  _ I have no interest in killing Hajime’s boyfriend.  _

 

* * *

 

As soon as they were outside, Hajime gripped Nagito’s arm, dragging him to his car. Nagito was strangely silent and comparably easier to move. When they got to his car, Hajime drove to the next parking lot he saw, a park, and parked there, breath still coming out in heavy pants. He turned to Nagito, only to see the white haired man pulling his door open and stepping out into the cold night air. Hajime got out, as well, shrugging off his coat when he noticed Nagito didn’t have one. When he handed it to Nagito, he took it gingerly, pulling it on slowly without any words. There was something in the air that was different between them. “Nagito-”

“You knew.” It wasn’t a question. The events had played over in Nagito’s mind enough for him to realize the truth. He was staring at his shoes with wide eyes. “Did you give someone the information I told you?” He still wasn’t making eye contact.

Ice was running through Hajime’s veins as he tried to form a coherent response.  _ This is important. I can’t hurt him.  _ “No! I mean,  _ yes _ , I knew something bad would happen tonight but I  _ never _ sold you out. I’d never do anything to get you hurt, Nagito.”

“How did you know, then?” Nagito’s words were almost eaten by the harsh wind outside. Hajime hesitated before he spoke. He could almost hear the gears turning in Nagito’s head, speeding up to a dangerous pace as he tried to find a foothold for himself. 

“I-I…” Hajime took a deep breath. “Can I come clean with you?”

“I’d hope.” Nagito’s voice held no warmth.

“O-okay. I know I, um, mentioned to you that my friends were into…  _ hunting _ ,” he winced at the word, “vampires. But it was all harmless, really. None of them knew what they were doing and I think they just wanted an excuse to hang out every week. But, er, then this guy started showing up. And I didn’t think he was legit, either. And then all of the sudden he starts talking about killing people and plans and all this shit, and I… I was scared to tell you. I thought telling you would put you in greater danger and I… I can’t watch you get hurt.”

“But you were okay watching my friends get hurt? Or any of the innocent people in there?” Nagito’s voice was flat and accusatory. 

“If it meant keeping you safe, then yeah!” Hajime said before he could hold his words back. “I-I can’t let you get hurt. And he promised you wouldn’t and then when I realized you’d be here I panicked and-”

“Who is ‘he?’” Nagito crossed his arms. 

“Kokichi Ouma.” Hajime mumbled, finally starting to feel the coldness of the air around him. Nagito finally connected eyes with him and for the first time that evening, Hajime noticed the red rim around them.  _ He’s hurt? I thought he’d be mad, not… Oh God this is so much worse.  _ Nagito was indeed hurt. The first person in his life he’d ever felt like he could not only trust, but connect with, had just betrayed him. Or maybe worse,  _ been _ betraying him.  _ Without Hajime, I have no one. Rantaro and Shuichi are kind but they’ll never truly understand me. I’m not close enough with Korekiyo. My parents have been dead for years. Hajime was the first person I’ve really let in.  _ Nagito was blinking back hot tears. “I promise I only did it to protect you. If… If I’d thought that not telling you would have been safer, I would have done that. I swear.” Hajime knew his words were cheap, but they hung in the air anyway. Nagito stayed silent for a long time, the sound of the wind and nearby cars worming their way into Hajime’s ears. 

“Okay.” The two syllables were heavy with unspoken and unformed words. Even in Nagito’s mind, they didn’t take a shape. They were dark forms of color and mass, but nothing he could put words to until - _ Clair de Lune et lumières, Léon Spilliaert.  _ The painting flashed through his mind.  _ Moonlight and light. A portrait of something that has been destroyed. A portrait that forces it to continue existing in its beauty.  _ Nagito felt weak and pliable and he knew he was. He started to lean towards Hajime, but the shorter man took a step away. 

“No.” He could only form a single syllable at first. “No,” Hajime repeated in a stronger tone. “You don’t have to just forgive me like that, Nagito. I-I… I really don’t want you to do that.”

“But I do have to, Hajime.” Nagito grinned bitterly. “Who else do I have to turn to if you’re gone? I’m not in the position to second guess you. I just have to trust that you’re not lying in wanting to protect me.”

“What?”

“Without you, I die anyway. If you’re lying, I’ll just die a slightly different death. If you’re telling the truth, then I’m safer than I thought I was. But it doesn’t matter. I have no control here, Hajime. All I have is what you tell me.” Nagito wrapped his arms around himself. “It’s rather erotic, don’t you think? To be completely at someone else’s mercy?”

“No, fuck that.” Hajime didn’t have the mind space at the moment to try and decipher  _ what the fuck that means.  _ “You’re not completely dependent on me, don’t say that. I mean, yeah, the blood is a thing, but you could find someone else if you really needed to. I’m not asking you to just blindly trust me right now, Nagito. I’m asking you to make a choice, because you have one. Will you feel betrayed and leave me, because you have that right, or will you forgive me because you genuinely believe me?” Hajime looked suddenly stronger in the pale light of the park, his shoulders squared and face stern. Something about the tense tone his voice had taken reminded Nagito that Hajime was a more capable person than he sometimes appeared to be.  _ If Hajime had wanted to hurt me, he could have. I forget what he is capable of, I think. But he hasn’t. He never has. Even tonight, he risked his own safety to fetch me before we were attacked-  _ realization snapped through Nagito quickly. He took another step towards Hajime, noticing that he didn’t move away this time, and ran a hand over the side of his face. He kissed him, desperate air leaving his lungs as his hands scratched for something to hold. Hajime wrapped his arms around Nagito, holding him tightly. Because of his cold skin, Nagito had felt chilled even with Hajime’s jacket, but for the first time that night, warmth spread through his whole body. “Let’s go home.” Hajime mumbled in Nagito’s ear and he nodded, closing his eyes softly. 

They found their way back to Hajime’s car and then eventually his apartment. Nagito’s phone began ringing as they pulled up and he answered it, greeted by a panicked Rantaro. “Nagito? Where are you? Are you okay?” Rantaro’s voice sounded genuinely panicked for what might have been the first time Nagito had heard. 

“I’m alright. I’m spending the night with my boyfriend. Is Korekiyo okay?” Nagito did his best to hide the small tremor in his voice. Hajime unlocked the front door for both of them and Nagito quickly sat on his couch, pulling his knees up to his chest. 

“He’s fine, he went out for a smoke break with his friends when the shooting started. He said he couldn’t find you, and I-” Rantaro took a sudden, deep breath. “I got nervous. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I should have been there.”

“It’s really okay, Rantaro. I have other things protecting me.” His gaze flashed to Hajime, who was making tea for the two of them at his stove. Nagito thought back to the time he’d nearly destroyed it trying to make eggs. 

“Some of my friends filled me in on what happened a bit. Everyone besides you has been accounted for and now that we’re speaking, it looks like no one was killed. A few of us were injured, but that was mostly from trampling, rather than gunshots.”

“That’s… surprising.” Nagito frowned, eyes darting over to Hajime to check if he was listening. When he didn’t look like he was, Nagito continued listening. 

“Yeah, they must’ve been a really bad shot. Which is weird considering they must’ve been a pretty skilled hunter to pull off something like this. But, er, that brings up another point.” Rantaro hesitated a moment. “There’s a rogue vampire. We’re not sure if he’s involved, but it’s possible. He’s been killing random people in the area for a while now and some of the older vampires I know think there’s a chance he’s starting to turn on not just humans, but us, too.”

“But why would it matter? There are so many strong vampires-”

“Not like him. This guy’s crazy. He’s easily the most powerful vampire in the entire country. There’s rumors he was made in a lab. If he’s turning on us, then we’ve got no hope.”

“There is always hope, Rantaro.” Nagito frowned. Hajime appeared behind him, lowering a mug of tea onto the coffee table for Nagito. Nagito thanked him quietly. “Is Shuichi alright as well?”

“Yeah, seems like it. I haven’t heard from him, but he wasn’t there, so- oh, shit. Kiyo just got home. I’ll call you back later. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Likewise.” Nagito nodded into the phone. When he heard the line go dead, he put his phone down on the table next to his tea and turned to Hajime, who was starting to sit down next to him. “That was Rantaro, he was just checking I was okay.”

“Are all of your friends okay?” There was an undeniable note of concern in Hajime’s voice.  _ Do I tell him? Hajime already knows so much and I’ve already gone so far in trusting him, I might as well.  _

“Nobody was hurt by the gunman.”

“What? Really?” Hajime frowned in confusion. “But… he had a gun and everything. And I know Kokichi’s… however he is, but he’s still capable. I mean, I’m glad but-” There was a sudden knock at the door. Both men froze and stared at it. There was another knock, this one even louder than the first. Hajime rose slowly from the couch and approached the door, eyes connected with Nagito the entire time. He stared through the peephole and sighed in relief, opening the door. “Chiaki?”

Chiaki rushed into the room, closing the door swiftly behind her. Her eyes were red like she’d been crying and there was a certain lack of grace to her movements that made her seem less like herself.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Hajime put his hands on her shoulders, worry clear in his face.  _ He’s talked about Chiaki, before. He says she’s the most level headed of his friends and his closest. I am grateful to her for being a good friend to him.  _ Chiaki rubbed her eyes. 

“I-I can’t do this. I just wanted to spend time with Ibuki, I didn’t think we-we were gonna be actually hurting people,  _ and _ -” She hiccuped slightly. “I don’t trust Kokichi. I don’t trust him at all. I know you’re the only one I can talk to about this and I just…” She trailed off. Hajime pulled her into a hug. 

“It’s okay, I understand. We’ll figure it out. I think it might be good for all of us to get a little break from Kokichi.” Hajime let her go and she looked up, noticing Nagito for the first time. Her eyes blew wide and her mouth formed a small “oh.”

“Oh my God.” She gasped, eyes flitting between Nagito and Hajime. “Are you…? You guys…?” She clapped her hands together. “I  _ knew _ you’ve been acting differently! What the hell, Hajime? We’re best friends, you’re supposed to tell me about this kind of stuff!”

“You didn’t tell me you were into Ibuki!” 

“Because she’s not at my house alone at night!” Chiaki’s normal tone was back, like she hadn’t been on the verge of a nervous breakdown just moments earlier. 

“We’ve only been dating a little while and with everything going on, I wanted to keep it quiet-”

“ _ Dating!? _ ” Chiaki’s voice spiked. “You’re boyfriends? And you still didn’t tell me?” She walked over to Nagito and took a seat. “Hi, I’m Chiaki Nanami, what’s your name?”

“Nagito Komaeda. Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand as politely as he could. Hajime just stared at them with a bewildered look. “He talks a lot about you.”

“Yeah, he’s been acting like a big goof for awhile now and I think that’s a big part your fault.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, that’s a good thing.” Chiaki giggled. Hajime sat down between the two of them, hoping that would somehow stop the two from whatever embarrassing exchanges Chiaki had planned. She turned to Hajime. “I think you’re right, though. Maybe we should, er, find a way to get rid of Kokichi.”

 

* * *

 

 

After Chiaki had dropped off the rest of the group at the pizza parlor and gone on her way home, Kokichi walked briskly to his car.  _ Chiaki was acting nervous. Too nervous. She’s going to chicken out, soon. I should have known… Hajime was always a weak link, but I overestimated her attachment to Ibuki, I pushed too hard, too fast.  _ Kokichi swore under his breath as he buckled his seatbelt and started the drive back towards Shuichi’s house. He swung through a drive-thru and picked up dinner for him and Shuichi. When he pushed the front door open, he was instantly greeted by a pair of arms around him and he instantly went stiff, panic seering through him. 

“ _ Gonta _ .” Shuichi’s voice cracked nervously. When Kokichi realized it was Shuichi, he relaxed enough to set the food down and frown up at Shuichi. “What took you so long? I thought you were just getting dinner?” His voice was rapid and lined with nerves. 

“I had to get gas and I ran into an old friend from middle school at the pump and the craziest thing happened on sixth street, you’ll never guess. I saw my cousin! Two people in one night and I’m not even from around here! Crazy, huh? It was nice catching up with ‘em and everything but I told them I had to get dinner and then there was the  _ w-o-r-s-t  _ line ever, like seriously, and- holy shit, what’s wrong?” Kokichi stopped halfway through his lie, eyes widened as far as they could go. Shuichi was crying, a pale hand thrown over his eyes like that would stop the tears falling from his face. Kokichi reached out, not sure where his hand was going, just knowing it was some sort of strange human instinct. 

“My friends, th-they were at a party a-and there was someone with a gun and I-I… Oh my God. Who would do that?” Shuichi was crying harder, his eyeliner starting to form into a small, dark line down his cheek. Kokichi wiped it away for him, still bewildered.  _ Comfort him. Make him more dependent on you. Use that manipulation you’re always so proud of.  _ But he couldn’t. Something about Shuichi made the whole process of deceiving so much more difficult. He was the first person Kokichi had ever had to think twice about lying to. Maybe the only person Kokichi had felt such a strong urge to protect. 

“I-I-”

“And then you were gone a-and I was scared you got hurt, too, and I just… I don’t want you to get hurt-”

“You… don’t?” Kokichi blinked in surprise. Shuichi didn’t respond and instead pulled him into a tight embrace, cold arms wrapping around Kokichi’s small frame. Kokichi felt his face heat up and he shakily returned the hug, a strange feeling he didn’t understand fluttering around in his chest. He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but when Shuichi finally did pull away, Kokichi could feel almost every fiber of his being begging violently to be held by Shuichi again. “I, uh, I have dinner.” He said quietly, holding up the McDonalds bags. 

They ate together over a movie that Kokichi put on to distract Shuichi from his thoughts. Sometime halfway through, Shuichi fell asleep on Kokichi’s shoulders, arm making a weight on him as he slept. Kokichi revelled in the feeling of the illusion of feeling human until his he saw a text message flash across his phone screen and he picked it up, careful not to wake Shuichi. 

**Unsaved #: Good job tonight.**

He breathed a silent sigh of relief. 

**Unsaved #: However**

The nervous feeling Kokichi was used to invaded his body again. He swallowed, watching the small typing bubble until another message appeared onscreen. 

**Unsaved #: Why were there no deaths?**

**Kokichi: i told u. no deaths were necessary. theyll be panicking now; i did my job.**

**Unsaved #: No deaths means you’ll have to hunt again soon**

**Kokichi: but-**

He started typing a message, but before he could press send, another one popped up. 

**Unsaved #: Until Kamukura is killed, you will continue killing on our behalf if you want Shuichi Saihara to stay safe.**

**Unsave #: Understood?**

**Kokichi: yes.**

He turned his phone off and stared up at the ceiling, fear creeping through him. Kokichi remembered vividly the first time he’d come across Shuichi. It had been years ago on a forum for vampire lovers.  _ More like fetishists but whatever.  _ Kokichi snorted to himself. He’d been hunting vampires since he’d started high school and he’d used the forum to find vampires stupid enough to post about their supernatural status online. He had to wade through thousands of idiots and posers, but it gave him the random easy kill so he hadn’t paid much mind. But one day he came across one particularly obsessed vampire fan, who’d meticulously researched and organized all information available about modern vampires into his own convenient blog. Though he’d never admit it, Kokichi had used it for reference on more than one occasion. After a few drinks one night, he’d made an account and left a few comments ranting about how vampires weren’t real, just to see how they’d react. 

He woke up to essay-length paragraphs with cited references as to why he was wrong. They made Kokichi laugh so he started doing it nightly until the two decided to switch to the websites private messaging system. And then eventually swapped numbers, only to find themselves talking more about their personal lives than vampires. Of course, Kokichi fed Shuichi almost entirely lies about himself, but they weren’t fun lies. He didn’t revel in making them like he did with other people; they were simply segways into getting Shuichi to talk more about himself so Kokichi could listen. 

Kokichi had started to become one of the best vampire hunters in the area. His manipulation skills and moral disengagement allowed him to do things most people couldn’t. He’d been contacted by a group searching for Izuru Kamukura, apparently the country’s strongest vampire. Kokichi had been thrilled.  _ Life is boring. I hate it. So if I chase this guy then I either get a fun fight or end up dead and less bored. Either option is fine with me.  _ He’d been fed information and targets and he took care of them. It was a job and nothing more. Kokichi didn’t think too much about what he was doing, because if he did, then the guilt started to seep in and he couldn’t handle that. It kept him up at night and ate away at him, but he could ignore it. He had to, to survive. The only reliable distraction he’d found besides his own ability to turn off his emotions, were the nightly conversations he had with Shuichi. He’d even found himself watching various terrible cop shows and reading dollar store mystery novels recommended by the other boy, just to keep up with the references he made. 

Then one night, Kokichi received a text that ruined everything. A picture from Shuichi, with the simple caption, “Told you.” It was a bite mark on his neck, from none other than Kirumi Tojo herself. With that, Kokichi’s entire world was turned upside down. It only took a little bit of time before he was moved to the city where Shuichi lived, because bad luck had cursed it to also be where Izuru’s killing habits were strongest. He’d messaged Shuichi and asked if he could crash at his place, blaming a housing issue and making up some lie about how his parents had recently moved to Canada. Shuichi bought it and for a brief moment, it seemed like Kokichi would finally have the life he’d always wanted. But he soon received the order to kill a weaker vampire, to let Izuru know there was a hunter presence in the area. 

Shuichi was Kokichi’s only respite, he couldn’t bring himself to even hurt him, much less kill him. He’d killed Kirumi, instead, enjoying every minute of it. He realized the truth of what she’d done to him and Shuichi.  _ One day I’ll get the call to kill him and I won’t be able to do it. If Kirumi hadn’t fucked up, then Shuichi would never have been in danger. He’s the only pure soul I’ve ever known and her mistake has made him into a monster that I can’t protect.  _ Somewhere in his mind, he knew she was completely unaware of it, but he couldn’t care. 

The group after Izuru made a deal with him. If he continued to do their errands, they’d never explicitly order him to hurt Shuichi. Once he killed Izuru Kamukura, then he’d be allowed to go free completely. He hated the feeling of being caged by them. Before he’d cared for Shuichi, their only threat over him had been death, which was hardly even a fear of his. Now suddenly, they had his whole world on a plate if he didn’t obey their every word. Kokichi knew he had little choice in what he would or wouldn’t do to protect Shuichi. Manipulating Hajime Hinata’s “vampire hunting” friends?  _ Easy _ . Killing innocent vampires?  _ It’s either them or Shuichi.  _ He didn’t want to hurt or kill when he didn’t have to, but Kokichi Ouma knew with certainty that he’d do anything in the world to protect Shuichi. 

The dark haired boy shifted, leaning more heavily on Kokichi and making a small noise in his sleep. Affection bubbled in Kokichi, scaring him slightly. He rested his head over Shuichi’s and closed his eyes, hoping for a sleep without dreams.

 

* * *

 

 

On the other side of the city, Nagito was settling into bed next to Hajime, feeling the warmth of him against his back and smiling happily. Despite the terror he'd felt and the betrayal Hajime had exposed him to, Nagito felt safe that evening. He felt safe with a person in a way he had never thought possible. For one single, selfish moment, his mind wavered over the possibility of a future like the one he was creating. A future where he fell asleep in Hajime's arms, trusting in him and knowing he was safe. He had to stop thinking of it because the happiness that flowed through his bones was almost overwhelming in that instant. Nagito pulled Hajime closer to him, kissing up his arms until sleep took over him.  _I am grateful and I am safe._


	5. Love and Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay on this chapter!! I finally bought a new laptop but I had a lot of trouble with this chapter for some reason. I apologize for the wait! I hope the chapter is alright and I'm sorry that it's a bit short.

That morning, as Hajime was making coffee for himself and Nagito, he invited Chiaki over to make a plan about what they would do about Kokichi.  _ Or what we  _ can _ do, anyway. I doubt the others will leave his side, even if we condemn him because he’s proven he’s the real deal. It’s not a question of friendship, to them it’ll be a question of interest so I doubt they’ll side with us.  _ He let Chiaki in and she sat at the table with Nagito. He poured three cups of coffee and joined them. “Do you think you can convince Ibuki to drop him? You’re the closest with her.” Hajime asked, waiting for his mug to cool down a bit. 

“Probably not.” Chiaki shook her head sadly. “She’s gotten pretty invested in the whole vampire hunter thing and I think she’s known from the beginning that I’m more on your side of it.” Across the table, Nagito’s eyes narrowed.  _ So Hajime wasn’t lying when he said he wasn’t in support of his friends’ hobby. I don’t know how much that counts for, but it’s something at least.  _ “He’s asked everyone to meet again today to go over everything. I think he’s caught on to the fact that I’m not interested anymore, and obviously you never were, so he may be a bit on edge. We should lay low.”

“So you think we should just go along with it quietly? Don’t you want to just tell him we’re not interested?” Hajime frowned in confusion, finally able to sip his coffee, but burning his tongue anyway. Nagito stifled a grin at the small sound he made as he put the mug down. Chiaki nodded thoughtfully, staring off at the ceiling. 

“I think it’s our best bet.” She sighed. “Antagonizing Kokichi doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

 

* * *

 

 

It turns out they didn’t even need to do anything for Kokichi to feel antagonized. From the moment they walked in, they both received a pointed, purple glare in their direction. Everyone else had already arrived and they were all sitting at one of the tables in the middle of the restaurant. Hajime glanced at his phone. The pizza parlor would be opening in about forty five minutes, so the meeting couldn’t go too long. Either way, he had class around then, too, that he had to get to. They sat down as Kokichi laced his fingers together, staring around the table. 

“How did fortune treat us last night?” Gundham asked, curiosity evident in his voice. Kokichi’s laced fingers travelled to behind his head as he leaned back in his chair confidently. 

“Smooth as ice.” He grinned. “Killed at least ten vampires-”  _ Wait what?  _ Hajime’s mind cut in.  _ I was there, no one was killed Nagito told me that, too. He’s just straight up lying? But… There’s not really anything I can do. If I reveal that he’s lying, then I also have to reveal  _ how  _  I know.  _ “In fact, my sources tell me that the city is at least 40% safer now.” Kokichi nodded happily.  _ Is he… Is he just pulling these numbers out of his ass? What the fuck? _

Hajime couldn’t help the small noise that came from the back of his throat, trying desperately to crawl its way out and refute Kokichi. Across the table, Kokichi noticed and their eyes locked for a moment, a dark tension running between them. Hajime coughed to cover the sound and averted his eyes.  _ I’ll listen to Chiaki, she told me not to make a big deal out of this.  _ He took a deep breath and listened to Kokichi prattle on about vampires, everyone besides him and Chiaki hanging on his every word. 

“So I think it’d be a good idea if we picked out code names. Y’know, to protect ourselves.” Kokichi leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “I’ll be King Horse. Gundham, you’re Hot Topic, uhhh… Hajime, you can be Mr. Virgin-”

“What?” Hajime blinked. 

“You’re Mr. Virgin.”

“Fuck off.” He snapped, starting to sit up before a wayward glance from Chiaki stopped him.  _ Stupid fucking dick. If someone offered me either paying my student loans or letting me get a free punch on Kokichi, I can guarantee I’d have to think on it.  _

“Okay, Chiaki, you’re Super Smash Bros-”  _ surprisingly fine, actually.  _ “‘Cause, y’know, you’re a gamer and you wanna  _ smash _ Ibuk-”

Chiaki stood up, glowering.  _ Yeah okay, so much for playing it cool, I guess.  _ “I’m done, Kokichi. You’re a dick and I’m tired of all your lies, so you guys can all have fun letting him boss you around, but Hajime and I are done.”

“She’s right. We’re out.” Hajime stood up, too. He felt powerful, standing up to Kokichi as he towered over him. There was a moment of silence and with a single expression, Hajime felt his power run through his hands like grains of sand. Kokichi looked unimpressed, a bored scowl set on his face.

“Okay?” He shrugged, turning to give Ibuki her nickname without skipping a beat. 

“We’re leaving.” Chiaki reiterated. 

“Can you be quiet for, like, two seconds?” He rolled his eyes. “As I was saying, Ibuki, you’re gonna be Avril Lavigne-”

Chiaki looked to Hajime and he gestured at the door.  _ We’re not gonna get through to him. Nobody gets to Kokichi if he doesn’t want them to.  _ They left the pizza parlor and loitered outside Hajime’s car for a few seconds, a worried silence falling over them. “Are our friends really wrapped  _ that _ tightly around Kokichi’s finger?” Chiaki seemed like she was asking the sidewalk more than Hajime, but he answered, anyway. 

“I think most people are. That’s kind of his thing. But it’s fine, we’ll find some way to get him out of here.”

“Yeah.” Chiaki didn’t sound convinced, but she nodded along. “I believe in us.”

“Yeah.” Hajime waved a goodbye to her and started his car to drive to class.

 

* * *

 

After Nagito’s classes finished for the day, he drove to Shuichi’s house. Since hearing of what happened at the vampire party, Shuichi had been even more paranoid than he usually was, so Rantaro had suggested the two of them stop by his house later. Nagito got out of his car and rang the doorbell. Shuichi answered the door quickly with wide eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay, I was so worried.” He pulled Nagito into the house. 

“You were… worried?” Nagito frowned.  _ They were worried about me? _

“Yeah! I knew Rantaro was safe, ‘cause he was sick, too and Kiyo called us right away, but… we didn’t hear from you. And I started to freak out. I thought you were, well, um… y’know, dead. You can ask Gonta, when he got home, I was still stressed.” Shuichi pointed to Gonta, who was at the dining room table on a laptop, apparently deep in thought. He didn’t even seem to notice Shuichi using his name or pointing to him. “Oh, do you want something to drink?”

“I don’t want to be a bother-”

“It’s really okay.”

“A water would be nice.” Nagito mumbled. “If it’s not a hassle of course-” He started, but Shuichi was already off towards the kitchen. Nagito glanced at Gonta, but the small man was still typing away on his computer with a serious face. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started texting Hajime. 

**Nagito: How did talking to Kokichi go?**

**Hajime: stupid purple fucker. i think the reason he’s so small is cuz all the height went to his fucking ego.**

**Nagito: Hm.**

**Nagito: So not well, then?**

**Hajime:...**

**Hajime: yeah.**

Nagito blinked down at his phone and then back at Gonta.  _ ….Purple?  _ His mind started wandering to a scary place, until the doorbell interrupted it. He opened it for Shuichi and let Rantaro in. “Ah, hello Rantaro. How are you?”

“Happy to be alive.” He shrugged off his jacket onto Shuichi’s couch, waving a hello at Gonta and seeming unbothered when he didn’t receive a response. “And glad you are, too.” He pulled Nagito into a one armed hug. “Where’s Shuichi?”

“Here.” Shuichi emerged from the kitchen with a glass of water for Nagito. 

“So, uh, you mentioned a boyfriend last night.” 

“A-ah. I did.” Nagito nodded slowly.  _ Was I not supposed to? Does that put Hajime or my friends in danger?  _

“And…?” Rantaro leaned heavily on his words, waiting for Nagito to finish his sentence for him, but Nagito wasn’t sure what to say. “What’s he like? How do you know him? Why didn’t we hear about him, like at all?” 

“Oh,” Nagito laughed lightly. “Erm, we met through school.”  _ That’s not technically a lie.  _ “He’s very kind.”

“Good. He better be.” Rantaro said in a firm voice. “Or he’ll have to answer to me.” Rantaro put a steady hand on Nagito’s shoulder, but Nagito shook his head. 

“He will be, no worries.” Nagito looked to Shuichi, hoping for a change in conversation topic. Shuichi seemed to grasp what he was trying to convey and he gestured towards the basement. 

“Um, let’s go watch TV or something. It might be nice to relax with everything going on.” Shuichi said quickly, looking between them. Rantaro nodded, taking his hand off of Nagito’s shoulder and starting towards the stairs. 

“Good idea.” He didn’t wait for Shuichi and Nagito to follow him, but they did, anyway. Shuichi put on a show and sat on a couch with Rantaro. Nagito took the chair and pulled his phone back out, texting Hajime. 

**Nagito: What does Kokichi look like?**

**Hajime: why? is he somewhere near u? Are you ok?**

**Nagito: Yes, I’m okay. Just wanted to check. You never mentioned ‘purple’ before.**

**Hajime: uhh, i don’t think i have any photos. i’ll see if any of my friends do brb**

Nagito put his phone away and concentrated on the show for a little while until Rantaro turned to Shuichi. “So, if Nagito didn’t mention anything about his boyfriend until now, then how’re things with you? I always just thought you guys never talked about anything ‘cause nothing was happening, not ‘cause you were being secretive or whatever.” Rantaro frowned. Shuichi quickly turned a deep shade of pink. 

“A-ah, there’s nothing going on with me, sadly. Um, it’s been pretty desolate over here, um-” Shuichi continued on, doing his best to convince Rantaro to back off with the questioning.  _ Hm. He’s acting strangely. Is it possible he’s lying? I can’t imagine why, though, unless he’s in a situation like mine, but the possibility of that is rather low I would assume.  _ Nagito’s phone vibrated in his pocket. 

**Hajime: i cant find any pics of kokichi, sorry**

**Nagito: It’s alright Hajime, no worries.**

**Hajime: but ur sure ur ok? U dont think he’s around, do you?**

**Nagito: No**

Nagito typed in the lie and looked back to the screen. Another long while passed in front of the screen until Shuichi sat up, looking around. “Has anyone seen my phone? I’m pretty sure I brought it down.” He frowned. 

“I’ll call it for you.” Nagito offered, starting to pull up Shuichi’s contact and call him. Rantaro dug around the table in front of them while Shuichi looked through the couch. Rantaro moved a small stack of blankets and froze. “Hm? Rantaro?” Nagito noticed and looked over. 

“You were totally lying. You’re seeing someone.” He laughed suddenly in Shuichi’s direction. 

“Huh?” Shuichi straightened up to see what he had seen and instantly managed to blanch even more than his normal color. “That’s um, not… Er-”

“Nagito! Can’t believe you left this here, jeez.” Gonta showed up out of nowhere, peeking through the basement door. 

“I’m sorry, dude, I really don’t believe Nagito uses grape flavored lube. Or leaves it at Shuichi’s house for no reason.” Rantaro frowned at the small bottle that had been tossed aside at some point. 

“Well then why don’t you ask him?” Gonta sauntered over to Nagito, putting an arm around him in a way that Nagito knew probably looked casual or maybe even friendly, but felt like a strange sort of power assertion. Rantaro raised an eyebrow at Nagito. 

“Erm… It’s mine.” Nagito blinked, eyes darting to Shuichi for help, but the shorter man was just staring in horror, still. Rantaro didn’t look convinced, but he sighed and sat back down. 

“Whatever. We still haven’t found Shuichi’s phone.”

“He left it upstairs. I came down ‘cause it was ringing.” Gonta handed the phone to Shuichi and then ducked out of the room.  _ The least he could do is make it a believable lie. I’ll lie if I must to spare Shuichi or Gonta some embarrassment, but… I never would have thought I’d have to make that lie.  _ They finished the show and Rantaro got a call from Korekiyo, who was reminding him that they were supposed to feed together that night. Shuichi asked to accompany them and turned off the TV. Nagito was just straightening up, when Gonta reentered the room, leaning against the wall and watching Nagito. He made quick conversation with Shuichi, appearing completely casual and then suddenly falling back to climb the stairs perfectly in time with Nagito. 

“Are you planning on keeping your relationship with Shuichi a secret from Rantaro?” Nagito asked quietly, hand gripping the railing lightly. Gonta looked up to the other two boys, who were chatting away. 

“Who said we’re in a relationship?” He snorted. “Our friend Miu wanted to see if it tasted like grape and she left it here. Shuichi was embarrassed ‘cause he gets nervous about that kind of stuff.”

“Hm.” Nagito inspected Shuichi’s face. “I’m not sure if you’re lying to me Gonta, and it doesn’t matter, but… if you’re pursuing a relationship with Shuichi-”

“I’m not the only one who’s secretive about their love life, Nagito. I wouldn’t threaten me.” Gonta’s voice was suddenly cold, defensive to the point of almost completely morphing his voice. Nagito blinked, taken aback. 

“I… I wasn’t threatening you, Gonta. I have no reason to.” Nagito finished his walk up the stairs noticeably faster than Gonta, his long legs carrying him quickly. He was strangely aware of how much he was looking down on the shorter man when he saw the conflicted look of stress pass over his face. 

“I-I know. I’m just messing around. Whatever.” Gonta tossed the lube at Nagito and while the taller man was distracted with trying to catch it, he walked past Nagito and off towards a different part of the house. Nagito watched him leave with a raised eyebrow.  _ For some reason, I almost feel like Gonta is slightly easier to understand than other people. We’re similar in the sense that I think his mind goes through numerous processes to create every sentence he speaks. Every action is comprised of thousands of thoughts, orchestrating the person he is. Neither of us do anything casually or without reason. There is meaning in every moment. I wonder what the meaning behind that interaction was.  _ Nagito sighed, catching up with Shuichi and Rantaro. 

 

* * *

 

 

After everyone had left, Kokichi returned to the table, continuing his research. He was trying to focus but the previous events were playing in his mind. Normally, Kokichi could simply take a deep breath and rid himself of emotions like shame, but it wasn’t working and he knew exactly why: Shuichi was involved. 

He hadn’t lied about Miu bringing the lube.  _ The best lies come from the truth. I know that.  _ She was a classmate of Shuichi’s in one of his psych classes and she’d been in and out of their house a few times since they’d decided to work on a duo project together for the class. She made jokes about the two of them a lot, and at first it had surprised Kokichi. He hadn’t taken her theory of mind as very strong and so when she came out of the blue with a joke about him “dying to suck off Shuichi” he’d been on edge.  _ How could she have known? Am I being too obvious? Not obvious enough? If someone like her cans ense it, then who else?  _ But Shuichi had debriefed him after she’d left, telling Kokichi that she made those sorts of jokes about everyone. Kokichi was relieved to know he hadn’t misjudged her.  _ I rarely don’t people read correctly. I can’t think of the last time I was wrong and I’m not gonna let myself be shown up some crazy bitch Shuichi brings over.  _ Shuichi told him Miu wanted to be a sex therapist. “Hm.” For once, Kokichi Ouma was quiet. He didn’t know how to pick the right words to express how unsurprised he was. 

Then one day, Shuichi had the  _ bright idea _ of inviting Miu along with some other classmates of his to their house. Kokichi tried to stay out of the way of Shuichi’s vampire friends for multiple reasons. One, Shuichi had insisted that none of them know that Kokichi was aware of their vampire statuses. Two, it would be harder to kill them if he knew them on a personal level. And three, they were all a bit brighter than his normal friends and significantly more aware of his true identity, so the risk of them revealing a secret of his to Shuichi was much higher. Nagito may have been right in thinking him and Kokichi were similar in their mental processes, but they were vastly different when it came to chances. Kokichi never took a gamble he didn’t know he could win. But fortunately, Shuichi’s regular college friends were much safer bets.  _ This will be a good chance to observe how Shuichi acts around his friends at school. I’ve noticed that he acts significantly different around me now than he used to online and if I truly want to understand him, then I need to know every aspect. If I know every side of him, then I can work even harder to become something appealing to him.  _ Simply being himself had never occurred to Kokichi. He wasn’t actually aware of a “true” Kokichi anywhere inside of him. Nearly every word had been an act since he could understand the people around him as a child. 

Miu worked in a sex shop, which she revealed to Kokichi that night. He made a half hearted joke about it that she took offense to and continued watching the way Shuichi talked louder when he was with his friends than he did around his family or Kokichi.  _ Maybe that’s a sign that he’s less close with me. I should work harder at that. Hm. I could have him do a favor for me, so he feels that I’m indebted and then he’d be more likely to trust me enough to share some sort of secret that would force a closer bond and-  _

“-lube.” Miu’s words snapped him back into reality. 

“What?” Kokichi frowned.

“I brought lube.”

“Why the fuck would you do that? If you’re tryna fuck, I’m gay as hell.” He finished the vodka left in his cup. Miu rolled her eyes. 

“Snow White fucked the prince not one of the seven dwarves, dumbass.”

“Short joke. Original. Did you come up with yourself?” Kokichi tilted his head like he was asking her genuinely. 

“Whatever. I said I brought flavored lubes that the shop just got ‘cause Angie said she’d be down to try ‘em. And I even brought a special one for Shuichi,  _ but _ , you were such an asshole about it that I guess I’ll just-”

“What’s his special lube?” Kokichi didn’t have the patience with Miu to make an effort of listening like he did with most people.  _ Fortunately for me, the only attention whore bigger than me in this room is her, so she’ll talk anyway. Works nicely. It’s like a skip text button in video games.  _ Somewhere vaguely in his mind he could hear Shuichi chastising him for being a bitch but he ignored it. 

“You’ll like it.” Miu laughed as he dug through her bag until she pulled out grape flavored lube. “Get it? ‘Cause you look like a grape and you guys are fuckin’.” She laughed loudly and a strong mixture of emotions washed over Kokichi, mostly resulting in a paranoid  _ God I wish.  _ Miu pulled some more flavored lubes from her bag and started making more jokes to her friends, seeming to forget her joke to Kokichi. In a way, he was grateful. He wasn’t sure how to formulate a response to whatever Shuichi’s reaction would be to it. He was viscerally aware that Shuichi saw him as unavailable, though he wasn’t sure why and that bothered him. 

Kokichi prided himself on almost always understanding the motives behind everything the people around him did. It was just a part of the calculated measurements and analysis he was constantly running on them.  _ But I was careful with Shuichi. I took every precaution to never be anything he didn’t want and pulled every stop to make him like me. And on some level, he  _ does _ like me, but he sees me as romantically unavailable.  _ Across the room, Shuichi was laughing with Angie about something that had happened in a dorm they both used to live in. Kokichi frowned.  _ It’s fine. It’s fine if he’s not interested in me. I hate it, but it’s fine.  _

When Nagito had pushed the topic of Shuichi earlier, it had brought forth a defensive side of Kokichi that rarely came out. One that only emerged when something hit close to one of the few things he genuinely cared for.  _ Weird as he is, Nagito’s definitely smart. And he’s close to Hajime. I can’t have him snooping around Shuichi. I’ll die before he reveals anything to Shuichi.  _ Kokichi wasn’t used to feeling protective or scared, so in the moments that he did, the emotion was tenfold, choking him with its intensity and need. He’d snapped, instantly grabbing at whatever low hanging fruit he could manage to think of in Nagito’s life. He’d ended up on Rantaro being kept out of the loop of his boyfriend, which had been a poor choice  _ considering I’m supposed to be hiding that I even know who his boyfriend is. Fuck. I’m an idiot.  _ Kokichi swore to himself and turned back to the vampire research he was doing.  _ Whatever.  _

 

* * *

 

 

Nagito drove himself to Hajime’s house and knocked on the door. “Hello Hajime.” He smiled when Hajime opened the door with a sour expression. The expression instantly cleared slightly and Hajime let him in. “I came to see how were you doing since you said it didn’t go well with Kokichi earlier.”

“Yeah. But I mean, it’s whatever.” Hajime’s deep set frown said otherwise. “I wasn’t really counting on getting through to him, either. I just,” He sighed deeply, pulling a hand to his forehead. “I just really fucking hate people like him, y’know?”

“Ah, I can’t say I do.” Nagito tilted his head, watching Hajime sit down on his couch. Hajime shrugged, thinking on his words for a moment. 

“He’s… He’s so  _ careful _ . About everything. It fucking sucks. Like, he just gets under everyone’s skin and knows their weak spots and uses them and I just feel so out of my league when I try to stand up to him. I thought Chiaki’d have a better chance ‘cause she’s a bit more level headed than I am, but he brought up our friend Ibuki, and Chiaki’s into her and all that, so he even got her to freak out. And I have to tiptoe around him so he doesn’t find out about you. I wish my friends had never gotten me involved in all this. I should’ve made better friends in college.” Hajime frowned bitterly. Nagito sat down next to him, doing his best to rub comforting circles on Hajime’s arm.  _ He’s mad. I’m not sure  _ how _ mad, but he is definitely upset.  _ Hajime was staring at the ceiling like it held the answers to negotiating with Kokichi Ouma. “Do you think he’s even got emotions in his weird little lizard brain? I mean, I know you don’t technically  _ know _ him, but-”

“Doesn’t everyone?” Nagito frowned, an emotion almost like concern plain on his face. Hajime sat up slightly. 

“What do you mean?”

“Aren’t emotions what makes us human?” He laughed at himself, a nervous sound that made Hajime reached out to put a hand on his cheek. “If he doesn’t feel anything then it would be rather ironic that he’s killing vampires for being monsters, wouldn’t it? If he’s the same thing, himself?” Nagito’s voice was slightly breathless. “Without emotion, you have no hope. There’s nothing to seek or beg for. There’s nothing to give yourself to.” Nagito’s eyes were sad and faraway. “What a sad existence. I wouldn’t wish that on even someone like Kokichi.” He mumbled, a hand moving to his lips, brushing one of his fangs. “A-ah! I’m sorry, Hajime, I didn’t mean to turn the conversation into a philosophical one, I can-” Nagito was looking around desperately for a distraction.  _ Ah, I have a new painting in my bag!  _ He reached for it and dug through it, accidentally knocking a few things out of it as he did. He was painfully aware of how his clumsiness was worsening his tangent, while managing to remain completely unaware of Hajime trying to reassure him that he was fine. 

“Uh, Nagito?”

“Mhmm?” He hummed, still digging through his bag. When there was a pause, he looked up to see Hajime holding the grape lube from earlier.  _ I wasn’t sure what to do with it after Gonta left, so I just took it with me. Lube is a useful thing, I suppose.  _ “Ah. It’s lube.”

“Uh, yeah. I know. But like… grape?” Hajime sniffed it tentatively and then blinked rapidly. “That is  _ really  _ strong, Jesus Christ.” He set the bottle down. “Um, I’m not… judging you? For carrying lube with you, but uh-”

“I’m not that presumptuous, Hajime. A friend asked me to pretend it was mine, I think they were attempting to convince my friend Rantaro it wasn’t theirs.”

“...Ah. Well, um, if you want… uh… you  _ could _ be that presumptuous.” 

“Hm?” Nagito raised an eyebrow, before his eyes went wide. “Oh!” He locked eyes with Hajime, suddenly understanding what he was trying to say. 

“I just meant, like, if you want, though-”

Nagito cut Hajime’s floundering off with a kiss. Hajime gratefully returned it, digging his fingers into Nagito’s hips in an attempt to pull him closer. His tongue entered Nagito’s mouth and he could feel one of Nagito’s fangs with his tongue. It was a surreal feeling that forced him to acknowledge Nagito wasn’t human. In the time that Hajime had known, he’d  _ never  _ been human. Hajime knew that that should’ve been a turn-off, but it sent a chill down his spine. In his mind, he could hear Chiaki making a monster-fucker joke but he desperately dispelled the thought. “Do you have condoms?” Nagito pulled away from the kiss to ask in a breathy voice.  _ This is moving faster than I thought it would. Not complaining, though. Just really,  _ really _ hoping I don’t fuck this up.  _

“Y-yeah, my room.” Hajime nodded quickly. He’d bought them after he’d been painfully absent of them during their last escapade. Nagito started to lean off of him, so he stood up quickly, getting dizzy for a moment before heading off towards his bedroom, Nagito in the lead. Hajime reached into his bedside table and pulled out the box of condoms, but he was interrupted by another kiss from Nagito. He leaned too far into the kiss and Nagito went slack, falling onto the bed with a soft thud and a small noise of surprise. “Oh my God, I’m sorry, are you okay?”

“I landed on a bed, Hajime.” Nagito reminded him, propping himself up on his elbows. “You seem more nervous than usual.”

_ Yeah no shit.  _ Hajime held off on responding with that and instead took a deep breath. “I… I, ah, yeah. I mean, it’s our first time together. Aren’t  _ you _ nervous?”

“Of course.” Nagito answered without pause. “But there’s no reason to be overwhelmed by it.”

“There kinda is.” Hajime’s brows furrowed.  _ Is he being serious? _

“We’ve already been as intimate with each other as is possible, Hajime.” Nagito shook his head like what he was saying made any grain of sense. 

“Um, the handjob was  _ really _ great, I’m not insulting that, but uh, I definitely think sex is a little more-”

“I’m talking about drinking your blood, Hajime.” Nagito’s eyes almost instantly developed a strange cloudiness to them. “They say that drinking someone’s blood is among the most intimate acts you can do. Blood is your life force and yet you’re giving it to me… letting me consume it…” Nagito sucked in a breath. 

“Uh.”

“Your neck is your most vulnerable area. Exposing your neck demonstrates either extreme confidence,  _ or _ … complete trust in another person. The trust they will not harm you when you are weak, and with us, it runs even deeper. You  _ know _ I am going to hurt you but you trust me not to hurt you too deeply. It’s truly erotic in its intimacy.”  _ So maybe that’s why I get hard. Huh. Or maybe Nagito’s just crazy. Probably both.  _ If Nagito’s spiel saved Hajime from the countless times he’d wondered about why he found the vampire thing so attractive, then he’d take it.  _ Nagito’s smart. He’s probably right.  _ “Do you remember the first day we met?”

“Yeah, of course.” Hajime frowned.  _ Wait, where is the conversation going now? _

“I lied to you about why I was researching vampires. I blamed a painting by Edvard Munch with the nickname Vampire. He never called it that, himself. To Munch, it was Love and Pain.” Nagito started to pull Hajime onto the bed with him; on top of him. 

“Love and pain.” Hajime echoed, searching for a glimpse of meaning on Nagito’s face, but just finding a hazy sort of lust and distraction. 

“What he saw as a kiss, dazzling in its intimacy, the world saw as a vampire. That was the extent I knew about vampires before Rantaro bit me. I’ve since realized how foolish I was to have never learned more.” Nagito continued talking as his hands moved down, untucking Hajime’s shirt delicately. One of his fingers finally brushed bare skin and Hajime hid the small shiver that ran through him. He would’ve assumed Nagito going on a rant about art in the background of the start of their foreplay would have set a strange tone, but something about Nagito’s low, breathy tone was stirring up Hajime. He reached down, starting to help Nagito unbutton his shirt and loosen his tie until they were both in a mess on his floor. Nagito had shed his jacket at some point, leaving Hajime only his thin t shirt to slip over his head. Cold hands landed on his sides, startling him slightly. He kissed Nagito, pressing him down into the bed. He could feel Nagito’s hands on him, exploring his chest. Hajime wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he could almost swear that Nagito’s temperature was at least rising to a room temperature. He let his hand hesitate at Nagito’s thigh, pulling a more desperate kiss from the other man. 

Nagito’s phone rang. 

They both glanced at it and made the silent agreement not to answer it. Hajime was reaching down when-

The phone rang again. And again. On the fourth call, Hajime leaned off of Nagito. “You should probably get that. If someone’s bothering to call that many times-”

“It can wait.” Nagito shook his head, reaching to turn his phone off. Hajime stopped him. 

“Seriously, it’s fine. If there’s an emergency it’d be better to know now.” Hajime watched Nagito sigh and unlock his phone. The calls were from Rantaro. He tapped on his contact and Hajime could hear the phone ringing just slightly. 

“Rantar-”

“Nagito, where are you?”

“I’m busy, what’s wrong?” Nagito pulled a knee to his chest, staring across the room as he spoke. 

“He’s gone, I-I don’t know where he could’ve gone and his house is all-”

“Who’s gone?” Nagito frowned and Hajime looked over.  _ Someone’s missing? Is everything okay? _

“Kiyo! We were supposed to hang out today and then he never showed and he didn’t respond to any of my texts from last night, either, so I drove to his house to see if he was mad at me and the door was open and he was gone.” Rantaro was speaking quickly, voice more nervous than almost any time Nagito had ever heard it. 

“Ah… I see.” Nagito chewed on his bottom lip as he listened. 

“Kokichi killed him. He had to have. Who else would be after Kiyo?”

“I’m not sure. Are you and Shuichi alright?” Nagito was running a hand through his hair, almost like a nervous tic. Hajime was surprised at how calm he was staying.  _ Kokichi didn’t kill him, right? There’s no way. He wouldn’t have. I… Holy shit. This can’t be real.  _ He looked over to Nagito, who was still talking to Rantaro, glancing back at Hajime every few seconds. “Yes, I can come over, but I’m with my boyfriend at the moment-”

“Just bring him. He can be a distraction for Gonta.”

“Alright.” Nagito hung up, looking up nervously at Hajime. “Are you okay with meeting my friends? They’re going to be a bit rattled.” Nagito was already pulling his pants back on and standing up. Hajime simply nodded. “Thank you, Hajime. I’ll feel more comfortable with you there.”

 

* * *

 

 

Nagito made his way into Shuichi’s home, pulling Hajime behind him. “Do you mind distracting Gonta?” He whispered as they approached the door. 

“Um, who?”

“Shuichi’s ‘friend.’ He doesn’t know about vampires. If you distract him, I think Rantaro will feel more at ease discussing what could have happened to Korekiyo.” 

“S-sure.” Hajime nodded. He still wasn’t sure how Nagito was managing to hold it together. He was terrified, thinking that it was possible that someone he knew had murdered a friend of Nagito’s. That Nagito could be next.  _ No. I can’t think like that.  _ They made it to the living room, where Rantaro and Shuichi were standing close together, talking in rushed whispers. When Rantaro spotted Hajime, he turned to Shuichi.

“Shuichi, Nagito said he thinks his boyfriend will get along with Gonta, maybe they should talk right now.” He said in a tense voice. 

“U-um yeah! Okay!” Shuichi walked towards Hajime and started to lead him down a hall. Hajime glanced at Nagito, who waved a small goodbye with large eyes. He looked Shuichi over as they walked.  _ He’s young. Definitely not older than a freshman. How’d he get tangled up in all of this? He seems nervous, though. Even more so than Rantaro or Nagito, so maybe he doesn’t really know, either. He seems timid though, so hopefully this Gonta character will be pretty similar.  _ Shuichi knocked on a door at the end of the hall quietly. “Gonta? Um, Nagito wants you to meet his boyfriend-”

“Okay.” The door opened and Hajime looked down, his blood instantly running completely cold. He could feel the goosebumps making their way up his arms as dread settled over him like a noose. Kokichi glanced up at him and for a tiny, almost imperceptible moment, he froze. But in a blink he was back to his regular self. “Whatever, yeah. He can come in.”

“Great!” Shuichi nodded, voice still sounding nervous. 

Hajime just made a small choking sound. Shuichi left back down the hall and both men stayed completely frozen and silent until voices could be heard again in the living room. They locked eyes. Anger so white hot that he couldn’t even place the emotion at first surged through Hajime, blinding him and taking over his will like a puppet. Hajime pushed the door completely open and shut it behind himself, glaring down at the man before him. Kokichi paled slightly. “Er, okay-”

He didn’t get to finish whatever wise remark he was thinking up because Hajime grabbed him by the neck, shoving him against the wall as quietly as he could.  _ The last thing I need is one of them realizing how I know him right now.  _ Kokichi gasped for air, clawing at Hajime’s hands with small fingers and kicking at his stomach. Hajime ignored him, rage still burning in him. The thoughts that were coiling behind Hajime’s rage were ones that disgusted him, but that brought him such a strong sense of satisfaction that he knew he didn’t have the self control to expel them completely.  _ I could kill him. Right now. I’m not exactly a trained killer, but Kokichi is weaker than I am and I’ve managed to actually catch him by surprise for once. I could kill him and save so many vampires. Save Nagito.  _ Hajime’s hands tightened around Kokichi’s neck and he stopped struggling, chest heaving for breath that wouldn’t come.  _ It would be really fucking satisfying to see this prick die how he deserves. For him to feel the fear he’s brought to Nagito and all his friends.  _ Hajime watched Kokichi pale, purple eyes lit with a fear he’d never seen in them before. Seeing that fear didn’t feel nice. It was like sandpaper on his brain, reminding him sharply of what exactly he was doing. Hajime felt his hands shake once before he dropped Kokichi, who fell to the floor limply, choking painfully as he gasped wildly for air. Hajime simply watched him, eyes wide and palms sweaty.  _ I shouldn’t have done that. Even if it’s Kokichi. Even if Nagito’s in danger, that was a low for me. I would’ve killed him. In that moment, I really would have done it.  _ With one final, ragged breath, Kokichi got back to his feet, glaring at Hajime. 

“Nice to see you, too.” His voice was hoarse and another cough tore through him at the end of his sentence. 

“Why are you here?” 

“Why are  _ you _ here?” Kokichi was massaging his neck, where a red ring was already creeping its way around his throat. 

“Did you kill him?” Hajime didn’t have time for Kokichi’s antics. 

“Who?” Kokichi raised an eyebrow. Hajime took a step towards him and he flinched away, slightly. He locked eyes with Hajime and for the first time, Hajime noticed how dark the circles under his eyes were. More than anything else, Kokichi Ouma looked tired. There was a strange seriousness clouding his eyes where the usual malicious gleam was, changing everything about his appearance though Hajime wasn’t sure why. “They wanted me to kill Nagito.”

“ _ What _ ?” Hajime froze in spot. 

“He’s an easy target. New vampire, weak, hangs around powerful people. It’s like taking candy from a baby.” Kokichi was fixing his hair and his collar as he spoke. “But I didn’t. I told you I wouldn’t and you were right that my word doesn’t mean much, but I’m still a loyal man, Hajime, make no mistake. I had to find someone to die in place of Nagito and the goth kid worked. Shit sucks, but c’est la vie. You would’ve done the same thing.” Kokichi’s tone was just angry enough to let his sentiment be known without running the risk of Hajime choking him again for it.

“I-I wouldn’t have. That’s fucked up, I’m not like you-”

“Oh really?” Kokichi suddenly seemed to stand up taller, his mouth drawn in a small line. “If you had to let someone else die to keep Nagito alive, you’d do it. You were just about to, weren’t you?” Kokichi’s hand graced his neck. 

“I… I… It doesn’t matter. I’m not like you. Why would you even choose one of his friends? Just pick a new fucking town and move on.” Hajime spat. 

“You think I don’t fucking want to, dipshit? There’s a specific vampire I’m after. I have to stay here. I only convinced them to let me go for Korekiyo because he was working on some dark magic shit or whatever and they thought it was dangerous.”

“Who’s ‘they?’” Hajime frowned.

“I’d tell you but then I’d have to kill you.” Kokichi said in a singsong voice. 

“This isn’t a joke.”

“Who said it was?” He sounded bored, which infuriated Hajime further. Something about being irate brought clarity to him and realization struck him. 

“Why didn’t you kill Shuichi?” Hajime asked, eyes darting to the door. Kokichi stopped dead, the fear from before settling in his expression once again. 

“I-I… Um, well he was too hard to get to, so-”

“Isn’t this his house?” Hajime raised an eyebrow. 

“... Yeah. But, uh… H-he is really, um, alert about this kinda stuff. Yeah, so, it’d be like,  _ way _ too hard to kill him and-” Kokichi’s voice was all over, stuttering and toppling on itself. It was like watching a train crash as the normally eloquent Kokichi stumbled trying to find a basic excuse. Hajime thought back to their conversation where Kokichi had said that vampires were of no importance to him in his personal life and he almost laughed.  _ Of course. He’s a liar, I should’ve known.  _

“You’re protecting Shuichi, aren’t you?” Hajime watched his words rip through Kokichi like a bullet. Kokichi turned as pale as he had been while Hajime was choking him, purple eyes wide and mouth trembling slightly like it couldn’t decide whether to speak or stay silent. “You’re killing other vampires in place of him. You weren’t lying when you told me that you didn’t have a passion for killing vampire, but you don’t do it for money,” Hajime sucked in a breath, realization continuing to ignite within him. “You did it to protect Shuichi. Why would you kill the vampire who turned him? Doesn’t that make him vulnerable?”

“The bitch had it coming.” Kokichi’s anger burst through his fear for a brief moment. “If she hadn’t messed up, she wouldn’t have needed to turn him. He could’ve been safe. He could’ve been mine. No one would have had to die to keep him alive. She deserved what she got, I don’t regret it.” The apathy in Kokichi’s words told Hajime that for once, he wasn’t lying.  _ So Shuichi was turned on accident, like Nagito.  _ “You don’t understand, Hajime.” Kokichi hissed. Hajime’s brain flashed to Nagito and he shook his head. 

“I think I do, Kokichi.”

“You’ve never seen what I have. I’ve seen the most hideous, bloodthirsty monsters and a helluva lot more worse humans. I don’t see the light in the world that you do. Everyone is either a target or targeting me. I exist to be killed. Other than Nagito, you have no worries. You’re safe, your friends are safe. You never gave up your education or your family. You never had to kill to survive. Shuichi’s the only soft thing I’ve ever had in this world and if I have to kill every other person on the planet to protect him, then I will. Be grateful I stuck my neck out for your boyfriend. Be grateful he wasn’t shot to pieces this morning without you ever even knowing. I did you a favor, Hajime.” Kokichi’s chest was heaving by the end of his speech, eyes fiery. Hajime was tired. His hands hurt, his head was killing him. He wanted the day to be over. 

“I don’t care, Kokichi. I really don’t. Just stay the fuck away from my boyfriend.” He sighed, rubbing his eyes. Footsteps could be heard approaching and Hajime glanced nervously at the dark ring of bruises around Kokichi’s neck. Kokichi sighed and grabbed a checkered scarf from the closest drawer, tying it around his neck just as Shuichi and Nagito burst into the room. 

“We’re going with Rantaro to visit Korekiyo’s house and see if he left anything behind.” Shuichi spoke first, glancing between the two. 

“Wait, what?” Kokichi frowned in feigned confusion. 

“Our friend Korekiyo is missing, we just want to make sure he’s safe.”

“Yeah, I hope he’s okay. Hopefully that crazy serial killer who drinks blood didn’t get him.” Kokichi tilted his head. Nagito frowned. 

“Hm. I highly doubt that for some reason.” He looked to Hajime. “Will you be okay here?” He asked.  _ Obviously he can’t take me with because they don’t know that I know, but… is it safe? I mean, I suppose the main danger is Kokichi and I will do everything in my power to make sure they are safe from him.  _ Hajime nodded. “Okay. We’ll be back soon.” As soon as they were out of the room, Kokichi let out a sigh of relief. 

“You didn’t tell them.” He sounded surprised. 

“I might. If you kill me, they’ll know who you are, so I have time.” Hajime was also fairly sure he could take on Kokichi when he didn’t have any weapons or grand plans up his sleeves. 

“Touché.” Kokichi scowled. “ _ Bu-ut _ if you tell them about me, then someone’ll kill me and they’ll just send someone stronger in my place. Someone who doesn’t have any weaknesses. I’m telling you this as a friend, Hajime -I’m your best case scenario.” His singsong voice was back.  _ Somehow I highly doubt that.  _ “Now you’re gonna help me with my plan to make them stop looking for Kiyo, bless his soul.” Kokichi put a dramatic hand to his heart and stared up at the sky. Hajime rolled his eyes.  _ I hate it but he’s right. We’re better off working together and each protecting the person we care about. If we keep them as uninvolved in what whoever the people who control Kokichi want, then it’s more likely that they’ll stay safe.  _ “Alright, here’s my plan, we’ll tell them Korekiyo stopped by while they were gone-”

“Bullshit. They won’t believe that.” Hajime laughed. 

“ _ Let me finish _ . I do research on all the vampires I’m hired to kill. Korekiyo has a sick sister who he’s very close with. He bit her, like Rantaro did for Nagito, but er… it didn’t go as well as it did for your guy. She’s alive but permanently ill. We’ll tell them he found out there was an emergency with her and he got so nervous that he left his house, door open and everything.”

“Speaking of which, why didn’t you just cover your tracks?”

“I was in a hurry. I don’t critique everything you do. Like, huh  _ I’m gonna join the vampire hunting club even though I fuck vampires _ -”

“Continuing on.”

Kokichi grinned, knowing he’d gotten a reaction. “I’ll copy his handwriting, leave a note saying that they’re taking her to a treatment spa in Europe with really bad reception and he won’t be able to return for some time but not to worry about him. I’ll do all the talking, as long as you stay quiet, it’ll work out. Capiche?” 

“Whatever.” Hajime looked around Kokichi’s room. “Y’know, you made fun of me for getting close to a vampire, but uh… I’m not living with one.”

“Only friend in the area.” Kokichi shrugged. 

“Your personal life didn’t play  _ any _ role in it, at all?” Hajime asked, knowing his voice was dripping with sarcasm. 

“Takes a vampire fucker to know one.” Kokichi gave him a flat expression. 

“Wait, um…” Hajime hesitated, not knowing whether or not he should bring up the topic on his mind. Kokichi was waiting, eyebrow cocked and face unamused. “Was that, um, grape lube yours? Do you want it back?”

“Fuck you.” Kokichi groaned, walking to his desk and digging through a bag for a notebook and a pen. He shook the pen and brought up a photo on his phone. “I had Korekiyo write me a grocery list a few days ago so I’d have a reference for his handwriting.”

“Kokichi, have anyone ever told you that, uh…”

“I kinda scream psychopath? Yeah. But it’s effective.” Kokichi began writing in a large, cursive font until the letter covered the backside of the page, as well. “Wanna know what he looked like when he died?”

“No. I really, really don’t.” Hajime felt like he might throw up. Kokichi shrugged. 

“ _ Assez dommage _ . Pussy.” He laughed a little and folded the letter perfectly, sticking it into a black envelope.  _ He was prepared. I wonder how long he’s had this planned. His general lack of remorse is pretty terrifying, but honestly I don’t really buy it. I think he’s doing it as a show, like some way to make himself seem tougher after I got the upper hand on him earlier.  _

“How long have you and Shuichi been dating?” Hajime asked, leaning against the wall and watching Kokichi address the letter to Rantaro. 

“Like, forever. I’ve lost track.”

“Nagito introduced you to me as his friend.”

“... oh.” Kokichi scowled slightly as he tried to perfect the flick at the end of Korekiyo’s letter R. “I’m working on it.” Hajime couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up in him.  _ Mr. Confidence can’t even win over Shuichi, that’s almost kinda sad.  _ Kokichi huffed. “It’s safer for him, this way. Besides, we’re young, we’ve got time.” Kokichi often acted juvenile, but seeing him act childish in a more innocent way reminded Hajime he was human, an easy fact to forget.  _ Sometimes Kokichi seems less human than the vampires I know. Then again, I think he does that on purpose.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hajime: y'all ever kiss ur vampire boyfriend just to flex on kokichi?


	6. The Lime Kiln

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hm... the five tastes... sweet, salty, sour, bitter and
> 
>  
> 
> oumami.

Nagito felt a strange chill run through him when they arrived at Korekiyo’s house, the door swinging on its hinges. Rantaro parked the car and the three of them got out, starting towards the house slowly. “I looked around earlier, but not very well. When I realized he was gone, I  just called you guys.” Rantaro frowned, pushing the door just slightly more open to get in. Nagito watched Shuichi kneel down and inspect the hinges. “They weren’t broken. The door was just left like this.” He frowned as he straightened back up.

“That’s a good sign.” Nagito tried to read the expression on Rantaro’s face but couldn’t. He shook some green hair out of his face and started walking through the hall. “It’s nice having such a talented investigator with us.” Nagito smiled. Shuichi instantly turned red.

“Er, um, thank you. I’m sorry I can’t be more help.” Shuichi was fidgeting slightly. Rantaro didn’t seem to be listening to their conversation and was looking around with concerned eyes, like he was searching for something specific. Nagito kept an eye on Rantaro as he searched, curiosity bubbling inside of him. Rantaro knew Korekiyo better than any of them, so if he was searching for something that the other two didn’t know about, then it was likely some sort of secret.

“Hey, will you guys go close his door? Snow’s probably getting inside the house and if Kiyo’s alive then he’ll be pretty pissed about it when he gets back.” Rantaro gestured towards the main entrance. Shuichi left without another word, but Nagito hesitated. He didn’t want to let Rantaro out of his sight, but something told him being defiant would just cause more issues, so he followed Shuichi down the hall. By the time they’d kicked the door closed and returned to the kitchen, Rantaro was holding a black backpack that Nagito had seen Korekiyo with a few times.

“What’s in there?” He questioned, pointing towards it.

“Some private things I think Korekiyo would want me to keep track of.” Rantaro was purposely vague. _Maybe it’s because Shuichi is here? I know he’s more comfortable with me and Korekiyo, so maybe once the two of us are alone, he’ll divulge more._

 

* * *

 

 

Not even an hour after they left, the trio returned to Shuichi’s house. Hajime’s nerves were on fire, anxiety flaring every time he thought about the elaborate lie they were about to tell. _How does Kokichi do this? All this… this deception. It makes me feel like I’m going to throw up, I don’t get it. Doesn’t he ever get nervous? Feel guilty?_ Hajime glanced to Kokichi, who if anything, looked completely calm. He saw a tiny, excited glint in his purple eyes as he stood up to greet the others and the thought finally occurred to Hajime that maybe, just maybe, the lying excited Kokichi. _He’s not overcoming his issues with lying like I have to. Maybe he’s never had a problem with it. It’d explain his actions pretty well, at the very least._

“Kokichi definitely got to him.” Shuichi sounded defeated.

“Don’t look so down, he stopped by.”

“What?” Rantaro gaze whipped in Kokichi’s direction. “Kiyo stopped by?”

“Yeah. Didn’t he, Hajime?” Kokichi smiled.

“Uh-huh.” Hajime nodded quickly. Their plan consisted of Hajime doing as little talking as possible, so as not to give their lie away. “Something about his sister.”

“Silly Hajime, can’t keep details straight.” Kokichi shook his head like he felt genuine pity, not just an opportunity to mock the man before him. “Korekiyo said he has a sick sister-”

“Yeah, his sister has cancer. But what does that have to do with anything?” Rantaro seemed confused, and in his confusion, almost angry. But if having someone tower over him with a personal glare deterred Kokichi, he didn’t show it.

“There was an emergency with her. A doctor recommended a treatment spa in Europe. He had to leave immediately to catch the nearest plane. He stopped by since he won’t have much service for a while, but he didn’t want you guys to worry.”

“ _Doesn’t want us to worry?_ ” Rantaro’s eyes went wide for a moment, a dark shadow crossing his face. For the first time in the conversation, Kokichi’s movements haltered slightly.

“Er-”

“Then why did he just leave like that? Why didn’t he come to my house? Or even give me a call? Jesus, Kiyo.” Rantaro put a hand to his forehead, massaging his temples. “What the fuck, I was so worried.” To Rantaro’s side, Kokichi let out an inaudible sigh of relief. Rantaro was no longer mad at the Kokichi’s possible lie, but at Korekiyo.

“Well, he left a letter.” Kokichi nodded to Hajime, who handed the sealed letter to Rantaro quickly. “We haven’t read it, but it’ll probably answer some questions.”

 

* * *

 

 

Nagito accompanied Hajime home afterwards and he was mostly silent in the car. Too silent. _Did he catch on to our lies? He knows me better than the other two so he probably saw how nervous I was acting. Shit. Shit, shit shit. I can’t let Nagito know I’m still keeping secrets from him._ “Nagito-” Hajime attempted.

“Rantaro’s hiding something from me.”

“What?” Hajime managed, desperately hiding his relief.

“He was looking for something in Korekiyo’s home. He took one of his bags home with him, but he didn’t tell me or Shuichi what was in it. I’m not even aware of anything that either of them would need to keep secret, though.” Nagito looked out the window with a small frown. “It’s all very confusing to me.”

“Yeah. That is really weird.” Hajime continued watching the road. “It’s probably just something personal of Korekiyo’s. They were close, right?”

“They are pretty close. They’ve been vampires much longer together than Shuichi or I.” Nagito nodded. “You’re right, it’s probably just something along those lines.” He didn’t seem entirely content with that answer, but he returned more to his normal self, anyway. When they returned home, Hajime picked up his phone. It had been buzzing in his pocket during the drive.

**Unknown #: hey mr. virgin**

**Unknown #: its king horse,, we r gonna use my cool codenames capiche?**

**Hajime: …**

**Hajime: How did you even get my number?**

**Unknown #: ;)**

**Unknown #: oh… you know.**

**Hajime: No. I really don’t. :/**

Hajime hesitated before sending his next text, a terrible feeling fluttering in his heart. _I feel like I’m betraying Nagito. I know I’m doing all of this with the sole intention of protecting him, but… it feels terrible. I can’t lie to him. But what would he do if he knew the truth, now? If Nagito thinks there are people dying for him, especially his friends… Oh God. I don’t even know what he’d do._ Hajime took a deep breath. _There’s no way I can tell him. At least right now. I’ll have to, eventually. But for right now, this information could be valuable in stopping more of his friends from getting killed._ Hajime swallowed nervously and started typing again.

**Hajime: I have info**

**Unknown #: ok lemme have it**

**Hajime: alright**

**Unknown #: WAIT**

**Unknown #: Every1 else needs codenames first mon ami. Hmmmmmm…. Hb microwaved soap, gerard way, and avacado**

**Hajime: one, those aren’t even creative. two, i’m not gonna call my boyfriend microwaved soap.**

**Unknown #: What if he’s avacado?**

**Hajime: No, that’s confusing.**

**Unknown #: 凸(｀⌒´メ)凸**

**Hajime:...**

**Hajime: ok. fine. soap told me that avacado was hiding info. apparently he took a bag from korekiyo’s house and wouldn’t tell gerard or soap what was in it**

**Unknown #: u didnt even let me give kiyo a nickname meanie :(((((**

**Hajime: this is so fucking stupid, i’m gonna block ur number**

**Unknown #: (๑´╹‸╹`๑) mwister virgin would do that to wittle ol mwe?**

_I’m surprised no one’s started a business in hunting Kokichi rather than vampires, yet. Seems a lot more satisfying._ Hajime put his phone on do not disturb in a huff, turning around to see Nagito, the guilt clouding him once again when he caught sight of his face. Nagito was staring intently out of one of Hajime’s windows, watching the snowfall with an expression that told Hajime he entirely absorbed by it.

“Snow is beautiful.” He murmured.

“Yeah.” Hajime nodded, walking over to stand beside him and watch it.

“Have you ever seen _the Magpie,_ Hajime?” Nagito’s eyes were still trained on the snow. Hajime shook his head. “It’s a painting by Monet. It’s just a basic scene, but there’s snow on everything it can reach. Monet’s paintings are known for their softness, but this one is different. He didn’t want lyricism, he wanted to make the viewer _feel_ . There’s only piece of the scene that’s not covered in snow. _La pie,_ as it was originally titled _._ The Magpie.” Nagito shuddered in a slight breath. “The only bit of white on it is its exposed stomach, where the feathers are white. But the rest of it is a pitch black that stands out against the paleness of the rest of the picture. I think of it every time I see snow.”

Hajime tilted his head closer to Nagito, trying his best to stare out the window in the same way as him. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to see the world in artistic of a way as you do.”

“Ah, I’m sure you will one day.” Nagito smiled, finally pulling his attention from the snow and turning to Hajime. “I think one day, it will just surprise you.”

 

* * *

 

 

The next day came and Kokichi Ouma was very still grateful; luck really seemed to be in his court for the moment. _Korekiyo was a good choice. I knew his dark magic stuff was happening, but I didn’t know he had secrets. And with Rantaro! Rantaro is perfect, he’s much more easily accessible than Nagito._ Kokichi looked to his mirror, running a hand through his hair. Shuichi had told him he needed a haircut earlier. “Hm.” He hummed, deciding it was fine for the moment. He’d schedule a haircut, later.

He shrugged on a jacket over his white t-shirt. Kokichi usually wore white, because it worked with the Kokichi he’d created. _Innocence, safety, and sincerity._ He knew color psychology well and white worked the best for him. Kokichi knew he couldn’t pull off the intensity of red or the seriousness of all black, despite the advantages they provided, so he’d settled on white.

“You’re going out?” Shuichi questioned as he slipped into his boots at the front door.

“Nope. Just a little chilly.” He lied obviously as he started tying the laces on his snow boots, drawing an even stare from the other man. “Do you want me to shovel when I get back?” He glanced outside to where their sidewalk was only visible from the boot prints of Shuichi’s friends visiting earlier.

“O-oh, you don’t have to-”

“It’s not a big deal. I’ll be back before dinner. Stay warm.” Kokichi smiled at Shuichi and stepped out into the cold. Kokichi was from a warmer area and one of the many reasons he was bitter over getting assigned the Kamukura case was because it meant countless hours in the dead of winter. He grimaced to himself and started scraping the ice off his car. _Fuck this. Fuck Siberia weather. Why can’t Shuichi live in Jamaica or somewhere fun or something, what the fuck? He’s the only good thing left, I think the cold has gotten to everyone else’s brains._ Kokichi got in his car and started towards Rantaro’s apartment. He’d only been there once before, to drop some soup off for Rantaro when him and Shuichi had both gotten sick. He’d been _so_ tempted to put garlic in the soup, but something told him the prank wouldn’t be as funny as it was worth, so he didn’t. Besides, he didn’t want to risk Shuichi eating some on accident.

As he drove, he went over his plan in his head, detailing the conversation in advance so he could do a good job at seeming casual when he got there. Sure, Kokichi was better at thinking on his feet than the average person, but mostly, he was just a very diligent planner. When he reached Rantaro’s apartment, he rang the doorbell and waited for a few seconds until Rantaro answered in his pajamas and a large sweatshirt. “Gonta?” He sounded surprised as he looked down.

“The one and only.” Kokichi held in his laughter at the blatant lie. The real Gonta had been Kokichi’s only friend in high school. He’d been the only one not to question all of Kokichi’s strange lies about where his injuries came from or why he missed so much school. Having a giant friend who hung on your every word had been something very effective, Kokichi had found.

“What’s up?” Rantaro opened the door to let him in. _Rantaro would fall very low on the neuroticism scale, which is good. Someone like Hajime wouldn’t let me in out of the blue like this._ Kokichi smiled as warmly as he could.

“I-I know we don’t know each other very well, but I saw how shaken up you were about Korekiyo and I thought I’d stop by.” Kokichi did his best to act sheepish. _I have to act like I feel weird being warm like this, he wouldn’t expect it from me._ “ _Bu-ut_ , I see you’re good, so-” He started to turn around. _If he has to ask me to stay, then he’ll have to justify the decision in his own mind and he’ll be more likely to see our whole conversation in a positive way._

“I mean, you can stay if you want.” Rantaro shrugged. “I’m not really do anything tonight. Want me to invite Shuichi over?”

“Uhhh, he’s got a cold.” Kokichi shook his head.

“Oh. Shit.” Rantaro frowned. “Korekiyo’s door was open, he must have caught it in the house before we closed it.” He shook his head and frowned. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah, it’s not bad.” Kokichi shrugged off his jacket. “Do you have anything to drink? I was gonna stop on the way here but I lent Shuichi my last five.” _If he does me a favor, he’ll see us as more personally connected, even if it’s a small one._

“Uh, yeah. Be right back. You can throw your coat wherever.” Rantaro went back to his kitchen and Kokichi folded his jacket neatly on the chair, leaving only the couch for them to sit on. He waited on one end of it, looking around the room for cues about Rantaro. It was all cheap furniture but well decorated. Purposely cluttered. Rantaro emerged from the kitchen with two glasses. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Kokichi took the glass and took a sip. _Ginger ale?! People just drink ginger ale in their homes? God, vampires are weird._ He smiled and took another sip. _At least it’s soda._ He looked over Rantaro, trying to decide his next move. _His hair is always well styled, so it’s important to him._ “Y’know, I’ve thought about dyeing my hair green like yours. Thought it’d bring out my eyes.” He smirked playfully. Kokichi likes lies that let him compliment himself. Rantaro’s eyes lit up.

“Really?” He sounded excited at the idea. “Nagito said something about it the other day, uh…” Rantaro trailed off, thinking. “Oh, he said it was the same color as some painting. You know how he is about art and shit. Um, the lime or something?”

“The Lime Kiln?” Kokichi raised an eyebrow, true self flashing for a moment. _Dude, come on. Like, everyone knows who Cézanne is._

“You know it?”

Kokichi nodded. “There’s some green plants in the front of the kiln in the painting. Your hair’s basically the same color. I don’t really remember much else about it, though. I haven’t studied art since like, high school French.” He snorted.

“You took French?”

“ _Oui_ .” Kokichi hummed, tilting his head to watch Rantaro, looking for more details to ask him about. _Piercings, he’s got lots of those._ “Did that hurt?” He leaned forward, pointing to the piercing on Rantaro’s eyebrow.

“Nah. None of ‘em really did.” Rantaro ran a hand over his earrings, like he was remembering getting them.

“Do you have any more of them?” Kokichi raised an eyebrow.

“My other ear.” Rantaro turned his head.

“I meant ones I can’t see.” He looked up at Rantaro with dark eyes. “Y’know, it’s been kinda hard since I got here-”

“You’re into Shuichi.” Rantaro frowned, shifting to face Kokichi entirely.

“ _Shuichi’s out of bounds._ ” Kokichi sucked in a breath. “And I’m pent-up.” _For once, not a lie. But you’re vulnerable and have information I need, so it’s not exactly honest either._ “Aren’t you?”

Rantaro simply hissed a breath, but didn’t answer. Instead, he put a hand on Kokichi’s arm. Kokichi had spent enough time close to Shuichi to be able to hide his gasp at the cold. _Shuichi. Hm. Would’ve preferred if this happened with him, first, but… c’est la vie._ He reached for Rantaro, climbing up to straddle his waist. _Nishishi. This was easier than I thought._

 

* * *

 

 

Nagito was taking a nap in Hajime’s bedroom as the sun set through the same window he’d been watching earlier. Hajime was playing games on the playstation Chiaki had bought him. He’d like to think it had been simply a friendship gift, but he was pretty sure she’d only given it to him so that she could have a gaming partner less chaotic than Ibuki. Gundham was hopeless at games and Sonia never listened to Chiaki’s directions. His phone started ringing in his pocket and he was fairly sure it was Chiaki noticing he was online.

“Hey, Chiaki-” He glanced at the caller ID. “Oh, sorry, hi Rantaro.”

“Heya.” Kokichi’s voice filtered through the phone.

“ _Kokichi_?” Hajime whispered in a hiss. “Why are you on Rantaro’s phone? Don’t tell me-”

“He’s fine, relax. Went out for a smoke, I took his phone.”

“Why are you in his apartment?”

“I’ll give you three hints. It rhymes with hex. It’s something you’ll never do-”

“Nagito told you that?” Hajime didn’t let Kokichi finish his sentence. _Nagito wouldn’t tell Kokichi the intimates of our relationship, would he?_ Kokichi roared in laughter.

“I was _joking_ , dumbass. But jeez. You guys really haven’t fucked? Rip.” Kokichi giggled and Hajime fondly remembered the time he’d choked him out.

“Hey, it’s more than you’ve got. How’s Shuichi doing?” Hajime scowled. There was a small silence on the other end. He grinned, knowing he'd gotten a hit in.

“I found Korekiyo’s bag. It’s filled with insane shit he was researching. He was looking for a way to revive vampires.” There was a scuffle on the other end and the sound of turning pages. “I think he wanted to kill his sister and then revive her as a stronger vampire, so she wouldn’t have her health problems. You can only do it by absorbing some of the strength of another vampire, but honestly, I don’t think Kork was up to snuff. He’d need someone stronger. So I think… I think he was after the same guy as me. I can use this information to track him down, maybe. I’m pretty good so the chances are high and- oh dude shut up. I _never_ said that. Obviously they’re gonna kill him off in the next episode,” _What the fuck? Am I going crazy or did he just completely switch topics?_ “Oh Rantaro, hey.” His voice came in again and Hajime realized why the sudden switch.

“Round two?” _That’s definitely Rantaro._ “Do we have to use the grape stuff again, ‘cause-” Hajime hung up immediately. _I don’t wanna think about Kokichi having sex. Like, ever. Ick._

“Hajime?” Nagito emerged from the bedroom, eyes tired and hair messy. He wandered over to Hajime, resting his face in the crook of Hajime’s neck. “Mm. Warm.” His hair tickled Hajime’s chin. Hajime wrapped his arms around Nagito’s waist, pulling him closer. He felt Nagito’s lips on his necks.

“Do you need blood?” Hajime frowned. Nagito shook his head slowly.

“No. It just feels nice to be warm. It feels nice to be close to you.” He hummed happily as Hajime’s arms tightened around him. While Hajime knew Nagito wasn’t warm in a temperature sense, the feeling spreading through him was a different kind of warmth. “Everything’s been so cold since I turned. Except you.” Nagito’s lips brushed his. Hajime pressed in for a deeper kiss, hands moving to Nagito’s hips. They migrated to the couch, Nagito on it and Hajime kneeling in front of him, leaning forward to press a kiss over the scar on Nagito’s neck. Nagito let out a soft moan.

Hajime moved down, leaving a kiss where Nagito’s shirt met his skin. His hands dug into the hem of it, pulling the shirt over Nagito’s head and leaving it on the couch beside them. Nagito shivered, his skin even noticeably colder than usual. It was easy to forget Nagito had once been terminally ill most of the time. He rarely spoke of it and his vampirism had brought a new energy to him. But feeling his frailty as he shivered under Hajime’s hands was a stark reminder. _I have to protect him._ Hajime realized. _I’d do anything to protect him._ The sudden surge of affection made him plant an open mouthed kiss on Nagito’s sternum, trailing it down to the waistband of his pants. “I’ve got a condom,” Hajime breathed. “Lube?”

“My bag.” Nagito nodded towards his bookbag by the couch. Hajime raised an eyebrow before reaching towards it. “You told me I could be ‘presumptuous.’” Nagito teased, a small smile playing on his lips. Hajime kissed him, before reaching to the side for the bag. He dug through it for a moment, finding the lube ( _very_ grateful the room didn't suddenly begin to smell overwhelmingly like grapes this time) and shifting back to Nagito as he started at the top buttons of his shirt, pulling his tie off and tossing it next to Nagito’s shirt. When his shirt was all the way unbuttoned, Hajime shrugged it off, not bothering with picking it up. When it was fully off, Nagito’s eyes widened, a pale hand reaching for Hajime almost instantly. Hajime put a hand over Nagito’s, using his free one to unbutton Nagito’s jeans and pull them down. His erection was visible in his boxers, so Hajime gripped him. Nagito gasped out a syllable that Hajime didn’t catch. He pulled down Nagito’s boxers, leaving them on the floor next to his shirt.

Hajime grabbed the lube and squeezed some onto his fingers, pausing for a moment to look up at Nagito. “You’re sure you want to do this?”

“Yes.” Nagito said quickly, as if trying to tell Hajime to _get on it with it, already._ Hajime nodded, taking a deep breath and pressing a finger to Nagito’s entrance tentatively. Hajime pushed his finger in, laying his other hand on Nagito’s hip to steady him. “Keep going.” Nagito mumbled.

“O-okay.” Hajime moved his finger slowly, realizing it as for himself than Nagito. Hajime pressed a second finger in and Nagito hissed out a small sound of relief. “Is that okay?” He asked. Nagito simply nodded, closing his eyes. Hajime started out slowly again, but as he experimentally moved faster, he felt Nagito reacting more and more. Hajime’s pants were growing too tight, a pain starting in his groin. He sucked in a breath, doing his best to ignore it. Hajime’s wrist moved faster, drawing a few sharp noises from Nagito. He angled his fingers upwards slightly, revelling in the startled moan it brought forth from the white haired man beneath him. Despite the chill emanating from Nagito’s body, there was a heat settling between their bodies. Hajime’s self control was withering by the second and by the time Nagito’s hip bone was starting to push into his hand, it disappeared entirely.

He reached down and undid his pants as quickly as his hands could manage, Nagito whining the moment Hajime’s fingers withdrew. Hajime reached for the condom and tried to tear open the package. His hands slipped off the sides. _Fuck. I don’t want to look like an idiot in front of Nagito. Uh. Shit. Okay._ He tried again, nerves starting to settle in him and force his hands to shake, dropping the condom as soon as he started to open it. Between the shaking and the lube on his hands, he struggled to even pick the wrapper back off the floor. “Hajime,” Nagito winced as the seconds ticked by.

“I know, I’m sorry, I just-”

“You’re nervous.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement that bore right into Hajime’s core. Nagito took the condom from it, settling one of his fangs over the corner and ripping it open. “Don’t be.” His voice was heavier than before. “I already told you that you don’t have to be.” His half lidded look went straight to Hajime’s dick.

Hajime nodded and straightened up, putting one hand on Nagito’s thigh to pull himself closer and lined up with Nagito’s entrance. He took a breath and pushed in, a small sigh parting his lips. Nagito shuddered as soon as he entered him, chest twitching when Hajime was fully inside. His moments started carefully, doing his best to hold himself back, but Nagito was making it difficult. He purposely pulled himself farther on Hajime, moaning louder than before and grasping wildly at Hajime.

“Nagito,” Hajime wasn’t sure what he wanted to follow Nagito’s name, but he didn’t have to get there, because Nagito pulled him into a kiss, instead. Even Nagito’s tongue felt cool against Hajime’s, but still warmer than his skin. _I’m getting too close, too fast._ One of his hands found its way to Nagito’s dick, hoping to bring Nagito to the same level he was. It seemed to work, because Nagito -who was already a mess- was becoming even more quickly undone in front of him.  He had a moment of clarity where he realized it might just be easier to tell him to slow down. His eyes connected with Nagito’s and the words left his brain faster than they could leave his mouth. Nagito’s rant from the last time they’d been this close rushed back to him, almost making him dizzy. Hajime had known intimacy and sex and everything else before Nagito, but the white haired man brought to him a new understanding of the word. It wasn’t just the blood drinking or their relationship, it was the strength of their bond. Nagito trusted Hajime with his deepest secrets. Like how Hajime allowed him to drink his blood, trusting Nagito wouldn’t hurt him. Nagito divulged every one of his most bottomless vulnerabilities, praying that Hajime didn’t betray him with them. _Am I? Is that what I’m doing to him? I’m doing it to keep him safe, I-_ There it was. Hajime’s part in their bond. It wasn’t his willingness to trust. Trust had never been as important to him as it had been to Nagito, but his care was. They hadn’t known each other long and yet Hajime had put his own life, and the lives of his friends, on the line for Nagito on multiple occasions. He cared more about Nagito than he’d cared about anyone else in his entire life.

Nagito was observing Hajime’s face, the heat in his stomach growing more quickly than he could control it. He wanted to absorb Hajime’s essence into himself and see every part of him. There were words burning as they rested on his tongue, threatening to fall out if he wasn’t careful. But in that moment, Nagito wasn’t careful. One of the reasons he enjoyed sex was because it was one of the few times were he wasn’t so eternally worried about being careful. Nagito sucked in a breath. “Hajime, I _ah_ , I-” He tried to cut himself off, but Hajime had already heard him, tilting his head to wait for the rest of Nagito’s sentence. “ _I love you._ ” The words finally escaped in an ungraceful tumble of breath as Nagito’s entire body tensed at the realization of what he’d just admitted.

Hajime heard his words and felt his body tense around him, but his mind didn’t have the space to comprehend it. He came with a startled gasp and instinctively curled over Nagito, quickening his pace. Nagito let out a sound almost like a whimper before coming himself at the end of Hajime’s orgasm. Hajime stayed still for a moment, eyes closed tightly and Nagito even more tightly in his embrace, before he let go and pulled out, tying off the condom and handing Nagito a tissue. He was vaguely aware that there was something he wanted to say, but in his post coital haze, he was mostly just focused on throwing out the condom as soon as possible so he could get back to Nagito. He stood up and walked to the kitchen, tossing the condom in the bin and returning to the living room. Nagito was curled on the couch, eyes faraway. “You all good?” Hajime sat down next to him, handing him his boxers from the floor. Nagito glanced at the floor with a hint of disdain before pulling them on and shaking his head.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have overstepped my boundaries. I get over-excited with our relationship, I didn’t mean to-”

“What.” Hajime blinked.

“I didn’t mean to put you in a state where you feel forced to emotionally bond with me considering I’ve already dragged you into all of my vampire business.” Nagito was massaging rough circles into one of his wrists. Hajime reached out and stopped him.

“Hey.” He waited for Nagito’s eyes to meet his. “I love you.” His words were met with a sudden quietness and wide eyes. Nagito slowly broke into a wide smile that melted into a kiss. He let Nagito lay on him, head resting on his shoulder and arm creating a comfortable weight over his chest.

“I love you, too.” Nagito mumbled, a slight flush settling on his supernaturally pale cheeks.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Kokichi had finished his spiel to Rantaro about how they couldn’t tell Shuichi, because he’d take their hookup too seriously. _Yeah, also I don’t want him to think I’m unavailable. ‘Cause, uh, tryin’ to hop on that myself, thank you very much._ He accepted the offer of a cigarette and lit it as he exited the apartment complex, getting in his car and starting towards Shuichi’s house. When he got home, he sighed heavily and picked the shovel up from behind the gate and turning back towards the pavement with a scowl. _I shouldn’t make stupid promises. I’m sore and tired. Also, I just got loads of new info. I’ve earned my day’s work, I just wanna sleep._ Kokichi dug the shovel into the snow and picked up a handful of it, grimacing at the weight and tossing it over his shoulder and to the side. _Stupid. You’re getting soft. This is gonna get you killed someday._ He took a calming breath. _But it’s fine. If I’m stressed, I’ll just take longer. I need to chill. This’ll be worth it if it spares Shuichi doing the same thing._ Kokichi thought as he went for another shovel full of snow.

Shuichi had walked in from shovelling a few days earlier, face gray and eyes watering. Kokichi had been nervous as soon as he’d seen him. Shuichi was obviously pale - _y’know, the whole vampire bit-_ but he wasn’t usually _gray_. “What happened?” Kokichi asked, stress clear in his tone.

“Oh, nothing, don’t worry. I just had to shovel. I think with my new drop in temperature, being outside for too long is a bit dangerous.” Shuichi had laughed it off, changing the conversation topic to how he was pretty sure he’d solved a cold case from years before either of them had been born. Kokichi nodded along enthusiastically, voicing encouragement when he thought it appropriate. However, his mind never strayed from the realization that something as little as a chore like shovelling could put Shuichi in danger. _I never thought of that. I’ve spent so long protecting him in extreme ways that I never even considered mundane dangers. Shit._

So there he stood, in the cold, shovel in hand and dark expression set deeply. _I’m pretty sure this fucking shovel is bigger than me. Jesus._ He scraped another shovelful off the path and continued on his path towards the front entrance, slowly but surely. _God, he did this shit every year before he turned? No thanks._ Kokichi eyed the slowly growing piles of snow on either side of him. By the time he really did reach the end of the path, his heart sank when he saw the bucket of ice salt. He scattered some across the sidewalk and then patted the remains from his gloves with a bitter expression. Kokichi put the shovel back and unlocked the door, kicking off the snow on his boots as he entered. “Shuichi? I’m home.” He started unbuttoning his jacket and walked towards the kitchen, where he could smell something cooking.

“Ah! Gonta!” Shuichi smiled happily. “You offered to shovel, so I thought I’d make dinner so you don’t have to eat out, tonight.”

“I-I didn’t know that you cook.” Kokichi stammered, looking at the pot on the stove.

“Um, I don’t, really. But soup is pretty easy, I think. I tried my best, at least.” Shuichi rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. The warmth of the kitchen combined with the enticing smell of the chicken noodle soup on the stove seemed to melt the remaining snow on Kokichi, absorbing into his every pore, overwhelming him. He blinked up at Shuichi, who was wearing comfortable clothes and looking decidedly less nervous than he had following the stress the last few weeks.

“A-ah. I’m gonna put my jacket away real quick. I’ll, uh, I’ll be right back.” Kokichi smiled back at him and turned on his heel, towards the bedroom. He ran to his room once out of vision and threw his jacket onto his bed and closing the door silently behind him. He sank to the floor, a clawed set of thorns snaking in vines around his heart. He choked out a sob, grasping at his chest. _Is this what I gave up? Is there a world where I ever got this chance?_

 _I’m a terrific liar and that means I practice the most on myself. I’ve always known the truth. Takes a liar to spot one in himself, huh?_ Kokichi had, deep down, always known that even after he caught Izuru, the men he worked for wouldn’t just let him off the hook like they promised. They’d always know about Shuichi. They’d always have that string to dangle in front of him. That knife to press to his throat. Maybe they’d give him respite for a few months but he knew they’d be back.

His only option was going on the run. He was fairly sure he could evade them. He knew their tricks and he was one of their best. But that required either leaving Shuichi behind, which wasn’t an option, or telling him the truth. _But if I tell him, he’ll never forgive me. That’s not me being dramatic or creating a plot device in my life. I may not turn to it often, but I_ know _the truth. One of the reasons I love Shuichi is because he wouldn’t love someone who has done the things I have._ Kokichi’s breaths were ragged and scared. Hopelessness was crashing down on him in inescapable waves, suffocating him beneath their blankets.

_Ah._

_I realize, now._

_I don’t have a future._

Kokichi straightened up from the floor, staring at his shaking hands. He sighed in annoyance and slapped himself across the face, hard enough to leave a small mark. Numbness settled in him, replacing the despair. _It doesn’t matter. I don’t have the time or the worth to feel these things right now. I live in the now, I’ll get to my hopelessness when I need to. For now, I’ll just enjoy what I’ve been given._ He opened the door and walked back into the kitchen, taking a seat at one of the dining chairs.

“Your cheek’s red.” Shuichi frowned and leaned forward, putting a hand on the spot where Kokichi had just hit himself. His heart almost stopped when Shuichi’s pale fingers reached out.

“From the cold.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Shuichi sat down in his own seat and Kokichi began drinking the soup in front of him. “Is it okay?”

“What the fuck.” Kokichi frowned down at his bowl. He saw Shuichi freeze across the table. Kokichi set his spoon down loudly. “This is the best damn soup I’ve ever had in my life.” He gasped, eyes wide and bright. Shuichi relaxed, rolling his eyes.

“You don’t have to overdo it, Gonta.” He said, but there was the hint of a smile on his face.

“Where the fuck is my phone? I need to call the michelin man and get some of his stars on this dish. Like, ASAP.” Kokichi feigned looking around for his phone. Shuichi put a hand to his forehead.

“I’m pretty sure that is not how that works.” Shuichi laughed fully this time. “I think the Michelin Man is for tires. And Michelin Stars are just for restaurant, not dishes, I think.”

“This Michelin guy’s really got a monopoly going on, huh? Tires _and_ restaurants _and_ this lovely soup? Where’s a guillotine when you need one?” Kokichi smirked.

“Thanks, Gonta.” Shuichi sighed, doing his best to look at the message behind all of Kokichi’s dramatics.

“Anytime, babe.” Kokichi winked, satisfaction setting in at the deep blush on Shuichi’s cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow ok I have lots to say!  
> -I"M SO SORRY FOR HOW SHORT THIS CHAPTER IS!! I only had today to write it and in today, I only had a few hours altogether, so this chapter is even shorter than the others. I really am sorry for the length of Magpie. I know I said I would work on overwriting, but it seems that I've gotten to the point of underwriting these days. ; o ;
> 
> -Also, PLEASE don't use Komaeda as an example and open condom packets with your teeth. It makes them far more likely to develop microtears so it's not a safe thing to do. Komaeda gets to do it 'cause vampire fangs get their own category but for your irl sex, please be safe! 
> 
> -this fic is getting close to its end, and I just want to give a fair warning that the end will most likely be a bit darker than the rest of the story has been up until this point. I'll tag w/ appropriate warnings etc. when I get there, but thank you for sticking with my messy attempt and writing something that wasn't entirely angst. I tried to give this chapter a lil fluff and smut to make up for any bad things that will happen in the future. (@Soni and Mags, you don't have to worry about your fears..... yet)
> 
> -It's 4 am and I pulled an all nighter to get a chapter out to you guys, because after tomorrow, I enter finals week and then some time home with my family, so I probably won't be able to do a ton of writing until I return for my J-term. That's why this chapter is a little short and randomly posted. I apologize in advance for the delay. 
> 
> -thank you for the comments and kind words, they really inspire me to write and just in my daily life, as well. I can't even put into words how much they mean to me, so thank you from the bottom of my heart. 
> 
> -this chapter is dedicated to Zeke, who explicitly told me not to let grape boy fuck before the boys, and yet... he did.  
> Also, he puts up with all my three am texts that consist of "i love ouma," "I love vampires," and "sdkjfskjfhs."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that the first chapter was okay and thank you again for reading!! Happy early Halloween and have a beautiful evening <3


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